One man's trash is another one's treasure!
by snowy-rose
Summary: His heart was frozen over until he met her... the little orphan who warmed his heart and changed his life. Some ZxR and SxN
1. Orphan in the trash

**Ok so i really wanted to write a one piece fic soo i did! (Just to let you know i am very busy this year with school and other stuff like that so i am not a frequent updater, but i do try to update when i can!) so i hope you enjoy !**

**Me: I dont own one piece**

**Zoro: Or me glares at author**

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The hot sun beat down on Zoro's neck as he walked through the busy market place. He wiped a few beads of sweat off his forehead "God Damn its so hot out" he complained. "I think I'll get a drink or two" Zoro thought as he stepped into one of the local bars and nonchalantly perched himself on one of the open bar stools. "Look at these misfits" he thought to himself looking around the dimly lit bar. The place reeked of cigarettes and old wood, a few men were on the opposite end of the counter quietly engaging in what seemed to be a very interesting conversation. Another man was with a rather lanky woman was sitting in a shadowy corner taking a long drag on a cigarette and blowing out smoke rings.

"What can I get you?" the bartender said gruffly while he polished a dirty glass with a rag.

"Eh I'll have whatever's good" Zoro replied in a tired voice

"Right then" the bartender said as he turned around and started fiddling with one of the many kegs that lined the wall behind the counter.

Zoro lazily looked up at the ceiling; he could see small clouds of dust swirl in the air between cracked shingles letting in a few rays of sunshine. "What a dump, I wonder where Luffy's gone… maybe everyone else has found something interesting to do."

His thoughts were interrupted by a mug of alcohol that slid across the bar top to him. Zoro reached out and stopped the mug with his hand, "thanks" he murmured and then took a long draught of his drink. He pondered for a moment as he let the alcohol swirl across his tongue "cheap ass beer" he scowled. The men at the end of the counter got up and made their way to the door, Zoro heard a soft thumping noise as one of them walked. He was curious so he casually glanced behind him one of them men had a peg leg. Zoro sighed "I really hope he's not a pirate... that'd be really stereotypical" he softly chuckled to himself at his joke. Zoro shifted his weight on the stool trying to get comfy "these things are hard as rocks, no wonder no ones here."

The man at the table started conversing with his friend "yeah he's the one on that wanted poster over there." The man whispered as he pointed to a wall covered in wanted posters "120 million!" The woman said in a shaky tone, "what the hell?! That's like huge!" The man covered her mouth and suushed her.

"This could be some fun…" Zoro thought grinning, he turned his head around and flashed the two an evil toothy smile.

"Wanna go some where else?" the man asked in fear, his friend eagerly agreed and the two ran out of the bar.

"heh wasn't expecting that to happen" Zoro laughed as he took another gulp of his "cheap ass beer."

"Hey buddy laugh after you pay" the bar tender said holding out his hand, gesturing for Zoro to pay.

"Jeez just wait a minute" he thrust his hand into his pocket and fished around for some money. A puzzled expression wiped the smirk off his face, "where the hell?" He said, just as he spoke Zoro remembered something from earlier that day…

_FLASHBACK _

"_Zoro look over there, what is that?" Nami asked leaning over the rail of the Going Merry pointing to the horizon. _

"_Huh what?" Zoro got up and looked to where Nami was pointing, right when he turned away her hand snaked into his pocket and pulled a few bills out of his pocket. "I didn't see anything" he replied_

"_Oh hmm maybe it was a bird…oops thanks Zoro!" Nami cheerfully said as she skipped off._

"_Bird my ass…whatever" Zoro said as he sat down and leaned against the base of the mast. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"God damn Nami!!" Zoro yelled "Money stealing ass!!"

The bar tender quizzically looked him "got money or not?"

Zoro gave him a sheepish and somewhat proud look "…no apparently not."

"Well then" he started "guess you have to do a few chores for me."

Zoro looked at him "do you see that?" he pointed to his poster

"Yes, yes I do and quite frankly I don't give a damn" the bar tender said in a nonchalant manner. He led Zoro back to the kitchen "start here, just take out these bags of trash then you can leave."

Zoro stared at the mountain of trash "great" he sarcastically said while he rolled his eyes.

The bartender shut the door behind him leaving Zoro with the trash, "how does a place have this much trash…it's a frekin bar!" he said incredulously as he grabbed a bag and proceeded to work.

About half an hour later Zoro was dragging the last bag of garbage out to the dumpster when he heard a noise. "What the?" he said and dropped the bag; he heard it again "whimpering?" Zoro said confused. He looked behind on of the many boxes in the alley and discovered a little girl. "WOAH!" he yelled and jumped back in surprise, the girl made another whimper and curled herself into a tiny ball. Zoro felt a sudden pang of sympathy for her so he cautiously leaned over and poked her "hey umm girl are you ok?"

"mhgnmn" she whimpered again and started shivering

"Hey" he said and poked her one more "are you ok?"

One large blue eye fluttered open and stared back at him "that was creepy" he thought

Zoro looked at the girl, she appeared to be about four years old, her long black hair was pulled into two low pigtails, she had no shoes and her raggedy brown dress hung limply on her small body. Out of nowhere she sat up and held out both of her arms as if to say "pick me up." Zoro just stood there for a moment wondering if he should actually pick her up, the little girl pouted with her bottom lip hanging out and made the motion again. Not knowing what to do, Zoro wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up into his arms. She scrambled into a position where he was literally cradling her and laid her small head on his chest. "What do I do now!?!?" He panicked "I guess I should take her back to the ship and then go from there."

Every once in a while she would whimper or cling to his shirt "poor kid" he thought. As they neared the ship Zoro looked to see if anyone was around, fortunately for him his crew was still out. "Phew" he sighed with relief "the last thing I need is for Nami to ride my ass about where I got a kid." He climbed aboard and silently made his way to the girl's bedroom, "here" Zoro said gently "sleep." She gave him a weak smile as she collapsed onto the soft bed and fell asleep. He draped the covers over her shoulders and sat against the wall wondering where to go from there.

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**Ok well i hope you enjoyed it, please review and let me know what chu think!!!!**


	2. Cook number 2!

**Hello everyone!! Here is the next chapter! (im running out of ideas on where to go from here so please send me ideas!!!!)**

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It was silent the only noise you could hear was the ship rocking back and forth in the harbor like a baby's cradle. Zoro felt something heavy against his chest that he didn't feel a few moments ago. He wearily opened one eye and looked down

"What the!?!?" He frantically whispered as he stared at a small shivering body curled up next to him. Suddenly she reached up and grasped Zoro's masculine hand, her small pale hand only fit around two of his fingers.

"Big brother" she whispered as she fell back into a deep sleep still holding his hand.

"Crap!" Zoro thought "What the hell am I gunna do now?!?" Zoro relaxed for a moment and calmed him self down, "ok easy now, she's just a little kid." He scooped up her tiny form and cradled her for a moment; Zoro was desperately trying to think about what to do with her but his mind was blank. He gave a heavy sigh and proceeded to gently rock her back and forth.

In the distance Zoro could hear Luffy's obnoxious laugh "Oh no" He said in dismay "umm err uhh" Zoro ran around the room trying to think of what to do with her. It wasn't until he heard Luffy and the rest of the crew board the ship that he thought of an idea. Zoro pounced onto the bed and pretended that he was asleep "genius" he chuckled to him self "now they won't question me because I'm asleep"

"Zoro…Zoro…ZORO" he cringed at Nami's sickly sweet voice calling out his name, he heard her heavy footsteps outside the door.

"shit shit shit" Zoro thought "go away carrot top" he squeezed his eyes shut and held the little girl tighter as the door creaked open.

"Zoro?" She quizzically said "why are you in my bed?" She waited for a reply "Zoro" Nami said sternly as she threw the covers back. "OH MY GOD ZORO WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?!" She screamed as she pointed at the girl.

"Nami-Chawn?" Sanji asked as he poked his head into the room "what's wrong?"

"Sanji-kun!!" Nami said exasperated "Zoro had a baby!!!"

Sanji's mouth dropped as he pointed at Zoro "Whaaaa?!?!?!"

"Sssssssssh" Zoro whispered "you're gunna wake her up!" Nami latched onto Sanji's arm and lead him out of the room shutting the door behind her. "Jeez" he thought "I'm not a woman so how could I possibly have a baby…"

The little girl struggled to sit up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she proceeded to stare at Zoro until she made up her mind that she liked him. "Hello" she spoke so softly that Zoro had to strain his ears to listen.

"Umm hello ….girl" He said blankly

"Mizu" she stated as she fiddled with the blanket

"Huh?" Zoro replied as she yawned

"My name is Mizu" she quietly spoke

Zoro stared at her some more, from the other side of the door he could hear Nami yelling about something. "Probably about Mizu" he thought, "My Names Zoro" he said "umm…Mizu" She looked up from the floor and met his eyes "why were you in the garbage?"  
Mizu's eyes started to water "because…because" her nose started running as she buried her face into Zoro's chest and cried.

"Uhhh umm there there" Zoro said confused as he patted her back in a comforting manner. "Its ok…don't cry…please?" he said desperately

She crawled into his lap and curled into a tiny ball "my mommy didn't want me anymores." She cried "she said that I took up too much moneys and left me." Mizu said distraught.

Zoro felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as reminisced into his own past "it's ok I'm sure we could err take care of you…" Zoro looked into his lap and into her large blue eyes

"Really?" she whispered. "Thank you" Mizu looked around the small room "maps" she said pointing to a large piece of canvas the Nami had tacked to one of the walls "do you make maps?"

Zoro laughed "No I am a swordsman, I don't make maps…Nami makes them"

She tilted her headin confusion "Nami?"

"Oh she's the ships map maker."

"Map maker" she repeated in a small cute manner

"Here" Zoro said as he hoisted Mizu onto his shoulders so she could look out the port hole in the door "see the girl with the orange hair?"

"mmhmm" she replied

"That's Nami" Zoro pointed over to the blond who was taking a long drag on his cigarette "and that's Sanji…he's a love sick ass."

"oooh" Mizu cooed as she grabbed onto Zoro's head and pointed over to a fluffy little reindeer "puppy!"

He laughed "no not puppy, chopper, he's a reindeer and he also is a doctor."

"The puppy is a dotor?"" she quizzically said as she pressed her face against the cool window pane.

"No…" Zoro began "yes the puppy is a doctor" he realized that fighting with a little kid is useless.

Mizu's stomach gurgled "oops" she said embarrassed

"Are you hungry?" Zoro asked, Mizu wordlessly nodded her head "well then let's get you some food ok?"

"Ok" she said softly as she slid down off Zoro's shoulders and hid behind his leg as he opened the door.

A cool breeze rippled through Mizu's tattered dress and sent her hair into a windblown frenzy. With one hand she grabbed one of her long pigtails to prevent them from blowing in her face, "big brother?" she whispered hiding behind his leg.

"Mm?" He replied looking down at her

"I uhh…don't want any food anymores…" Her stomach disagreed with her and rumbled even louder.

"Doesn't sound that way now does it?" Zoro joked

Mizu was about to say something when Sanji popped out from the kitchen door with hearts in his eyes,

"naaaaami-chaaaawn" he sang "was that your lovely stomach rumbling?"

"Saaaaaanjiiii-kuuuun" Zoro imitated "Yessssss" he mocked.

Sanji's expression quickly changed "oh it's just the baby raper; I thought you were Nami-chawn."

"What the hell did you just call me?!?!" Zoro yelled in n enraged tone, he went to hit Sanji but then he remembered Mizu was with him. "Whatever…Sanji I need some food." He said holding out his hand.

"For you?" Sanji asked "or for your cuute little friend?" Sanji said squatting down till he was eye level with Mizu

"eep!" She squealed and hid behind Zoro's leg peaking out ever so slightly to see if he was gone.

"Great job Sanji, you scared her." Zoro stated as he picked up Mizu with one arm and sat her on his bicep so she could lean back against his chest.

"Ooh I didn't know you were the parenting type Sword boy" Sanji joked "Come on in I'll fix her something to eat."

"Thanks" he mumbled back as he followed Sanji back into the Kitchen and sat in one of the chairs.

"So Zoro" Sanji began "how did you get a kid?"

Zoro sighed "I literally found her in the trash" he said

Sanji looked at her "poor kid" he thought as he turned around and started pulling pots and pans out of the many cabinets that lined his kitchen.

Mizu slid down off Zoro "Big brother" she said quietly "can I please look around?"

"Of course" Zoro replied "I'll be outside listen to uncle Sanji."

Sanji chuckled when he heard that, "uncle" he said under his breath as he poured some milk into a sizzling pan. Mizu cautiously looked at all the many things in Sanji's kitchen from spatulas to fancy foreign culinary tools. She grasped the leg of one of the chairs and proceeded to drag it over to where he was cooking.

"Curious are we?" he said whisking something in a bowel

Mizu watched in amazement as Sanji cooked, she stood on her tip toes to reach the counter. Mizu looked at Sanji and noticed his apron "oh" she thought as she hopped down off the chair and ran over to the towel drawer. Sanji looked over his shoulder at Mizu who was pulling a towel out of a drawer. She attempted to mimic him by using an old towel as an apron. Mizu put on a proud face and ran back to her chair,

"Very nice" Sanji complemented "chefs always wear aprons in the kitchen."

"I is a chef" she proudly said grabbing a near by spatula and holding it up pretending to cook something.

"Aah so you can talk" Sanji stated as he glanced over to her

"Yes" she said quietly "I can talks very well"

Sanji wanted to hug her "awww her voice is as cuute as she is!! She's gunna be gorgeous one day!" he thought in his head. "Here" he said placing a chef's hat on her head "now you're a true chef!"

Mizu giggled as the hat lopped to one side "Chef" she repeated as Nami walked in.

"Saanji-kun" She sang "could you make me some tea please?"

"Anything for you my little Nami-chawn!" Sanji sang back

"Thank you!"

Sanji turned to Mizu "ok chef number 2 find me a cup!"

"ok Uncle Sanji" Mizu hopped off the chair and ran to rummage through the random cabinets to find a glass. "aah!" she cooed as she pulled out a flower mug then ran back to Sanji.

Mizu proudly held up the mug and smiled "got it" she whispered happily

"Very good chef number 2!" Sanji praised her and patted her on the head; he poured some hot water into the cup and floated a tea bag in it. "Al right, now for delivery, go give this to auntie-Nami ok?"

Mizu eagerly grasped the mug and ran from the Kitchen to the deck where Nami was.

She was leaning on the rain enjoying the cool sea breeze when she felt a tug on her skirt "Sanji-kun!" she sternly said not bothering to mover her head,

"Umm … uhhh" Mizu stuttered "tea"

Nami turned around and looked at the girl "oh I'm sorry I thought you were Sanji-kun!"

"t-tea" she said holding up the mug

"Thank you" Nami said warmly

"There you are Mizu" Zoro said as he walked up the stairs

Mizu's expression changed in a heart beat at the sight of her big brother "big brother" she happily said as she ran and hugged his leg.

"Hey Mizu…did you eat yet" he asked as he knelt down to her eye level

"No me and uncle Sanji made tea, but he's cookin foods right now." Mizu proudly stated

"Good" he lifted her up and let her sit on his arm again "let's go pay a visit to Uncle Sanji shall we?" he asked

Mizu nodded her head "uncle Sanji is nice"

"heh he better be!" Zoro laughed as he whispered in Nami's ear "don't be offended, she's just shy."

"Ok good, I thought I did something wrong to make her afraid of me."

"Nah" he said as he walked into the Kitchen

"Uncle sanji?" Mizu whispered as she peeked into the kitchen,

"There you are chef number 2" Sanji laughed "take a break and eat ok?" he said as he pulled out a chair for her in front of a heaping plate of food.

Mizu wasted no time in eating as soon as she picked up her fork and spoon she started to eat right away.

"Good?" Sanji asked

Mizu nodded her head vigorously as she spooned some scrambled eggs into her mouth.

"Good" He replied as he left to go find Nami.

He found her tending to her tangerines "they're looking good" he complemented

"Oh Sanji-kun, thanks" she said wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead

"The tea was good right?" he asked leaning against the rail

Nami smiled "yeah it was great, just what I needed"

"What do you think of Mizu?" Sanji asked changing the subject

"I don't know just yet, she's really cute though!" Nami squealed

"I think she's adorable, she was helping me cook, she's extremely shy though" Sanji said watching the wind blow ripples across the ocean.

"Yeah I noticed" Nami replied "but I think she'll fit in well."

"Yeah me too, hah I noticed that Zoro acts like a parent now." Sanji laughed

"I saw that too! I think it's good for him, he needs to learn that he can't be a hard ass all the time." Nami peeled off her work gloves and fanned her self with them "Whew it's hot out" she complained

"Hah so it is" Sanji replied "Enjoy it while you can, winter will be commin soon"

Yeah I know" Nami said absentmindedly "I hope my poor trees will make it through this year."

"Well I'm sure they will" Sanji said looking at the lush green plants "they look really healthy to me."

"Thanks Sanji-kun!" she said as she plucked two ripe tangerines from a branch and tossed one at her friend.

"Mmm Nami's tangerines are the best" Sanji exclaimed as he look a bite "Sweet just like you" he thought as he sucked on the sweet necter of the tangerine.

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**Ok i hope you liked it! This one was kinda long but i dont think thats a bad thing! Anywho please review!!!!!!**


	3. You don't drive ships

**Aye i totaly forgot about this fic. i started, for some reason it just slipped my mind! Whoops! So i made this chapter longer than usual this time to make up for it! I hope you enjoy it!**

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"Aaah" Mizu sighed with satisfaction as she finished off the remaining food on her plate.

"Full?" Zoro asked as he glanced at the stack of dirty dishes next to her. "I'm not doing those" he thought to himself "Sanji can take care of them."

Mizu glanced up from her now empty plate with a sorrowful gaze "I'm sorry" she meekly whispered. "I shouldn't have eaten so much…"

The floorboards squeaked as Zoro leaned back in his chair, "Eh dun worry 'bout it, our captain eats much more than you do."

"Captain?" Mizu asked as she cocked her head to the side "you have a captain?"

Zoro laughed "well we _are _a pirate crew, so it's only natural that we would have a captain."

"Oh" Mizu said as she attempted to climb down from her chair "where is he?"

"Hell I don't know, he does as he pleases… he'll come back when he's hungry." Zoro chuckled to himself "Nami didn't …or should I say _wouldn't _give him any money."

"Why?" she questioned, Mizu shuffled her feet over to where Zoro was sitting and climbed up onto his lap.

"…'Cause he wastes it, if Luffy had access to all the money we have…we would have a ship full of unnecessary shit." Zoro ruffled her hair and stood up tossing her onto his back. "Let's go"

"To where?" Mizu whispered as she scrambled onto his shoulder

"You'll see…" Zoro said with a sly grin on his face "you'll see."

Zoro and Mizu strolled out of the kitchen; a salty breeze welcomed them back onto the deck and tossled their hair. "The sea's calm today" he blankly stated as he looked out to the placid blue ocean. He closed his eyes and inhaled the briny air listening to the seagulls chatter and squak as they flew past the ship. A small foot that dug into Zoro's side brought him back to reality, as Mizu tried to prevent herself from falling off his back.

"Sorry" she whispered "I didn't mean to-."

He cut her off "Mizu" Zoro said sternly "you don't have to apologize for everything you know. Not everything is your fault … ok?"

Mizu nodded her head "I understand" she said with tears in her eyes.

Zoro was about to speak when a shrill voice that belonged to a certain female navigator yelled out to him.

"ZORO!?" Nami yelled from over by her tangerine trees "are you making that poor girl cry?"

He didn't bother to answer her "shrill money whore." He thought as he made his way to the ladder that led off the ship.

When Zoro was half way down the ladder Sanji's blond head popped out from the side "OI, where you going?"

"Like you need to know, I'll be back later." Zoro gruffly replied

Sanji sighed and propped his head up on his fist as he watched the swordsman descend down the ladder "could you at least look for Luffy?"

"If I see him then I'll send him back, good enough?"

"Fine" the cook said impatiently as he pulled his head back into the boat.

Zoro jumped from the last remaining rungs of the ladder onto the dock, he landed on his feet with a dull thud.

"You all good Mizu?" he asked

"mmhmm" she nodded her head in response and looked back at the ship. "bye bye" she waved as the two headed off towards the white sandy beach.

It was busy in town again, another hot one, sweat beads trickled down Zoro's neck as he made his way through the crowd of people who were busy shopping. "Whew" he panted as he wiped his brow with his arm.

"It's hot big brother." Mizu stated as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Don't worry, just a bit further and we'll be there."

They continued to walk down the cobblestone road; bright merchant booths kept calling out to them.

"Hey big fella, you wanna invest in-"

"No" Zoro cut the tall man off before he could finish his sentence and kept on walking.

"Ooh look at that, you look like you could use some-"

"Don't want it." Zoro said coldly as he passed the booth

"Why do they wanna give us stuffs?" Mizu asked innocently, looking back to the stands that they just passed.

"It's a scam; they just want your money." Zoro replied as he dodged a fruit vending cart that was sitting on the curb of the street.

"Ooh." Mizu looked up at the sky, the angelic clouds floated lethargically in a sea of clear azure blue, the sun was high above the buildings and beat down on their necks without mercy, giving the term "red neck" a whole new meaning. Crowds of different ethnicities stood in groups on the curb speaking foreign languages. Brightly decorated shops and booths lined the street and into the horizon, kids chased each other shoving through the crowds laughing and squealing as they enjoyed their game.

"What are they doing over there?" Mizu asked pointing over to a circle of people

"I dunno let's check it out." Zoro strolled over to the crowd with Mizu still on his shoulder and peered through the bobbing heads in front of him.

"Is he actually gonna do it?" One man asked his friend

"Jeez I have no clue, all I know is that someone's gunna be reaping some major bounty."

"Aye I wish I could see." The man said again, "something's going on but I can't see…no fair!" The crowd gasped and the sound of bones crunching echoed through the street, someone started screaming in pain. Zoro could faintly hear a familiar ditzy laugh over the roar of the crowd.

"Oh no…Luffy…"Zoro exclaimed as he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "What did you do now?"

"Is that your captain-sama?" Mizu asked poking her head between people to get a better look.

"ahh unfortunately." Zoro replied, "Luffy!!! Get out here now!"

"OI, …Zoro…where are you, I'm lost." Luffy yelled

"Idiot how can you be lost in a circle of people!!? Especially when you're in the middle!?" Zoro yelled exasperated at his captain's stupidity.

Zoro saw Luffy's arm shoot up and grab onto a flag pole sticking out of one of the shops. "Oiiiii, found you Zoroooo!!"

Zoro rolled his eyes, "yes good job captain" he said sarcastically, Zoro turned and faced Mizu "sorry, I guess I'll have to take you to the beach tomorrow, this idiot has to get back to the ship before we wear out our welcome."

Mizu smiled "it's ok I don't mind." She leaned against Zoro's head "is the beach fun?"

"You've never been to one?" He asked quizzically

"Nuh-uh" she said "I've seen them though."

Zoro patter her on the back "that settles it, we're going to the beach tomorrow, this should be interesting!"

Luffy shot over to Zoro and gave a questioning glance to Mizu "hey Zoro"

"Mmh?"

"What's with the shoulder midget?" Luffy said poking Mizu in the side.

"Her name's Mizu, she's not a shoulder midget stupid, she's a little girl." Zoro said defending her.

"Ok ok chill out, when's dinner?" Luffy jabbed at his stomach "I'm starving I ate 20 minutes ago and I can't take it…I'm going to starve to death." He exclaimed dramatically dropping to the ground.

"Luffy get up." Zoro said annoyed with his captain "people are staring…"

"Carry me…" Luffy said blankly

Zoro stared at his captain for a moment and then kicked him in the side "like hell I will, you can walk."

"Oi Zoro you're so mean." Luffy stated as he nonchalantly walked back towards the harbor.

"Yeah yeah whatever." He replied "arguing with Luffy is like arguing with a rock…except the rock has more common sense." Mizu stifled a giggle as Luffy shot Zoro a death glare.

"Yeah well rocks don't drive ships so there!" He retorted in a proud manner, Luffy crossed his arms and marched back to the ship.

"You don't _drive _ships…" Zoro thought to himself

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**Well how was it? Hmm maybe you should write a review and tell me:)**


	4. Can you sail in the sky?

**Allright I have the next hapter up for you all to read, see i would never forget abput all you readers (that was a lie) **

**I hope you enjoy it!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own one piece... and if i did things would be waay fluffier!!!**

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Once all three of them had reached the Going Merry the sun was peacefully setting on the horizon. "Ooh" Mizu cooed as she gazed out at the ocean, the water had taken on the appearance of the sky, hues of pink and gold were reflected upon the water making it look like they were floating in the endless abyss that they called the sky.

"Pretty huh?" Zoro stated as he leaned foreword onto the railing "It's times like these that make me happy to be a pirate." He said with content

"Big brother" Mizu began "do you think that you can sail in the sky?" She was still marveling over the radiant colors in the ocean.

"Hah fat chance" Zoro stated with a chuckle, he looked down at Mizu' sad face and knew he chose the wrong answer "oh uh err I guess no one's proved you can't so uh maybe." Mizu's face perked up again

"I'm gunna sail in the sky one day." She said with a dreamy look on her face.

Luffy looked down from his perch atop the prow "me too!" he said "I'm gonna be king of the pirates _and _the sky pirates!"

Mizu looked up in admiration "really?!" she gasped "you can do that!?"

Luffy smiled and laughed "Of course!"

"Here we go" Zoro mumbled "he's never gunna shut up."

Nami was standing on the upper deck chatting with Robin and eavesdropping on Zoro's conversation.

"Robin?" She began "what do you think of her" Nami pointed over to Mizu who was giggling at the different faces Luffy could make with his gum gum powers.

"Her?" Robin asked "what about her?"

Nami turned and faced the ocean the floorboards creaked under her feet "haven't you noticed that whenever Zoro's around her he's less of a hard ass?"

"Well this is my first time seeing them together so I haven't noticed anything peculiar, but I'll watch and see." Robin stated as she walked past Nami and confronted the doctor about something.

Sanji looked out the port hole on the kitchen door "Nami-swan." He said with admiration and a love struck smile on his face. "With such a kind heart it is only natural to have a beautiful kind face." He was caught off guard as his water started to boil over "Shit…" he exclaimed as he ran to aid his cooking. Nami swung the door to the kitchen open and strolled in

"Sanji-kuun" she said loudly

"Yes my Nami-Swaan?" He replied "what is it?"

Nami poked her head from behind the counter "there you are! It's kind of hot out and Robin and I wanted to know-"

"It's on the table my dear." Sanji replied once again with a smug grin on his face "I figured you'd want something to cool you off so I made a fresh pitcher of lemonade, is that ok?"

Nami squealed and hugged the cook "you're so smart Sanji-kuun! How did you know I was going to ask for that!?"

He grinned with a slight blush on his face "instincts my dear."

"Well I like your instincts!" Nami released her death grip hug and picked up the pitcher and some cups "thanks Sanji-kuun" she exclaimed as she walked out onto the deck.

Sanji breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the counter letting the blush spread across his face "we're making progress" he said splashing some water on his face.

On the deck Nami tried to cover her blush "why did I hug him?" she thought "that totally took me off guard."

"Aunty Nami?" a small voice questioned, Nami looked up and it was Mizu "are you ok?"

"Aah Mizu you frightened me there!" Nami laughed, she kneeled down to her level "You want some lemonade? Uncle Sanji-kun made it."

Mizu nodded her head yes she took a hold of Nami's skirt and walked along side of her over to where Robin was sitting. And sat on the edge of Nami's folding sun chair, fiddling with the ends of her dress she looked up at Robin.

"I don't believe we've met, my name is Robin." She said with a pleasant smile

"Ro-bin" Mizu repeated and smiled "Mizu" she pointed to herself

"Aah Mizu" Robin said as she leaned back in her chair "what I lovely name."

"Thank you" She replied quietly

A few moments of silence passed the three of them sat comfortably sipping their lemonade.

Mizu suddenly looked up "Big brother?!" She exclaimed in a panic, scanning the deck she could not see him.

"Big brother?" Robin questioned "are you referring to Zoro?"

Mizu nodded her head as she looked back and forth for her brother

Robin sat the glass down on the small wooden table next to her "I have a feeling I know where he is…come." She said gently as she held out her hand Mizu looked at it for a moment and then reached out her own small hand and took hold of Robins.

Robin led Mizu over to the main mast pole and peered behind it "just as I thought" she chuckled "here you are Mizu, he's sleeping."

Mizu let go of Robin's hand and walked around the mast, her face lit up at the sight of her big brother.

"Thank you" she quietly said as she snuggled up in the nook of Zoro's arm and let out a small coo. Zoro twitched as he felt something heavy against his body. He opened one eye and saw his little shadow snuggled up against his body.

"Hey there" Robin said as she sat cross-legged facing Zoro "she was looking for you."

Zoro adjusted Mizu so it would be more comfortable for both of them "yeah I figured she'd come looking for me eventually." He patted Mizu's head

"She really does take to you doesn't she?" Robin questioned

"Yeah, she thinks I'm her big brother, but that's ok." Zoro stated looking down at Mizu

The sounds of the night were starting up; with every passing minute it was growing darker soon it would be night. The waves rocked the boat to and fro like a baby in a cradle. Zoro could feel his eyes getting heavy

"So what's her story?" Robin asked feeling rather sleepy herself

"To make it short, I went to get a drink, Nami stole my money, I couldn't pay so I was taking out some garbage for the bar tender, found her in the trash, didn't know what to do so I brought her here."

Robin took a minute to take it all in, "where's her parents?"

"They ditched her, just up and left her." Zoro said as he grit his teeth together

Robin put her hand on his tense arm, "calm down she's with us now so it's ok." She said gently.

"Yeah I guess your right" Zoro calmed himself down "thanks"

She looked at him with a smile "no problem" Robin shifted her weight "so how come all of the sudden you act like a dad? Usually you're a hard ass who wouldn't bother with this kind of thing."

Zoro closed his eyes and smiled "Robin I'm hurt that you think that" he said playfully

Quickly he changed his mood "she reminds me of me when I was little"

"Really?" Robin asked "I was expecting a more insensitive answer" she thought

"Yeah, my mom died when I was born and my dad left me when I was three, I had to fend on my own until I came across a fighting dojo. I stayed there until I was old enough to be on my own." Zoro said with a sad tone

"I'm sorry, that must have been hard on you." Robin said with sympathy

"Yeah but past is past, I don't want Mizu to go through what I had to." Zoro could hardly see Robin due to how dark it was.

"It's dark out huh?" Robin said trying to make conversation, something about him compelled her to keep talking.

"Really?! I hadn't noticed" he said joking around

Robin let out a laugh "Aah so you can laugh" he said "I thought you were the serious type."

"humph" Robin pouted "I'm relaxed not serious."

"Ok ok don't get your panties in a bunch." Zoro laughed

"You have some nerve!" Robin exclaimed while laughing "see you in the morning."

"Same here." Zoro replied as he heard her get up and walk back to the girl's room.

"'Night Mizu" he said sleepily as he leaned back against the mast and slowly closed his eyes, letting sleep engulf his consciousness.

When he awoke Mizu wasn't there "Mizu?" he looked around and saw Nami and Robin making a fuss over something. "Ugh" he moaned as he stood up and stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, somewhat ready to embrace the day. The sun was rising over the misty water and the town was starting to wake up, shopkeepers were unlocking their doors and sweeping the sidewalks. While people roamed the town sightseeing before the crows flocked in.

"Ooh!" Nami cooed "you are so cute!" she said with hearts in her eyes as she adjusted the new dress she bought for Mizu.

Zoro groggily walked over to the girls "what's going on he said with a yawn."

"Big brother! Look" Mizu happily spun in a circle admiring her new dress

"Where'd you get that Mizu?" Zoro questioned, somehow he knew the answer

"Auntie-Nami and Uncle-Sanji bought it for me look it's so pretty!" Mizu squealed

That was the most she had spoken in one sentence Zoro smiled at her accomplishment "It looks very pretty on you." He grabbed a cup of coffee off a tray that Sanji extended to him "thanks" he said.

"How do you like it my little chef?" Sanji asked as he knelt down to Mizu's level

She wrapped her small arms around Sanji's neck "thank you Uncle-Sanji it's so pretty!"

Zoro glanced at Nami "thanks" he said quietly "that means a lot to her I can tell."

"Any idiot can tell!" Nami laughed "but your welcome, I just couldn't stand to see her wrapped in rags like that."

"Yeah I know" Zoro looked at how happy Mizu was, her little white dress rippled as the wind blew, she was playing with one of her long pigtails as people complemented her.

Mizu looked up at Zoro who was sipping his coffee "Big brother"

"mm?"

"We're going to the beach today right?" Mizu questioned and everyone looked up at him

"Well of course, I told you I'd take you didn't I?" He smiled and took another sip of his coffee. Mizu ran and hugged his leg

"thank you big brother!" Zoro scooped her tiny body up with one arm and plopped her on his shoulder.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Zoro turned away from the group and walked over towards the prow where Luffy was sitting as usual. "Luffy" Zoro yelled "Have our friends spotted us yet?"

Luffy leaned back and looked at Zoro over his shoulder "no sign of the marines yet, so let's have some fun!" Luffy laughed and shot one of his gum gum pistols up and grabbed the crows nest. Slinging himself up he yelled "Goooood Mooorrrningg!!"

"Aye" Zoro mumbled and slapped his forehead "Come on Luffy"

"Ok!" Luffy jumped down and Mizu gasped

"He's gunna hurt himself!" she exclaimed

"Just watch" Zoro said with a smile as his captain slowed himself down with another gum gum pistol. He grabbed onto the Mast and safely landed in front of Zoro.

"Captain-San!" Mizu whispered as she stared at Luffy who was playfully grinning.

"Let's go to the beach!" Luffy headed towards the rest of the group and demanded food only to be clouted by Sanji.

"You ate an hour ago!" He yelled

"aaaahhh Saanji…I'm so hungry" Luffy whined "an hour is forever"

"I don't care, no more food for you till lunch you pig!"

Luffy pouted and went back to his post on the prow complaining all the way back.

"He doesn't act like a captain" Mizu quietly stated

"Yeah I know, thank god, I would be ruled by an idiot." Zoro stated as Mizu laughed

"Come on let's get ready to go." Zoro said as he went over to Nami and Robin "Robin Nami could you get Mizu ready for the beach?"

"Yeah where's her suit?" Nami asked as she looked at Mizu and smiled at her

"uhh…." Zoro began, Nami glared at him

"Well where is it?"

"She doesn't have one." Zoro said sheepishly

Robin came to his rescue "Well we can make do with something can't we Nami?"

"Yeah I'm sure we can." Nami turned around and led Mizu into the girl's room. Zoro mouthed the words thank you to Robin, she just smiled and followed Nami to get Mizu ready.

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**Ok so how was it? Hmm waybe you should review and tell me? (no pressure right?!)**


	5. I don't cry

**Helloooo readers! Im back and posted another chapter! Aye i can't beleive it i wrote 5 frekin pages in word on this chapter! Wow new record XD **

**Allright! So go ahead and read up and hey why not leave a review, i love hearing what you all have to say **

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Nami tightened the strap on Mizu's makeshift bathing suit; Robin had taken one of her old swimsuits and cut up so it would fit the tiny girls' body. "There" Nami said with satisfaction as she stood back and admired her work.

"Bravo Nami" Robin complemented "nice job"

"Thanks Robin" Nami smiled "I try"

Mizu tugged at the suit adjusting it so she was comfortable "thank you Auntie-Nami, Auntie-Robin."

Robin looked down at Mizu "you're welcome, now come on let's go shall we?"

Mizu took hold of Robin's hand as they all walked out of the room and back onto the deck.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Ussop were all huddled together in their swimsuits sitting on the deck waiting for the girls.

"Aah Nami-swaaan!!" Sanji cooed not looking at her face (if you know what I mean) "you're like a breath of fresh air!!"

"Thanks Sanji-kun" She replied with no emotion as she turned to Zoro "Here you go Zoro."

"Eh?" He turned around at the mention of his name "what?"

Mizu ran to Zoro with a cheery smile plastered to her face "oh now look who's opening up more and more" He said ruffling her hair.

Mizu nodded her head and sat down next to him "what's the beach like?" she questioned as she scratched her nail on the floorboard.

"Well if I told you know then it would no longer be a surprise now would it?" Zoro laughed and forced himself to stand up. "All right let's go"

Sanji grabbed the picnic basket he had packed, Ussop grabbed a bag of sand castle stuff, Chopper reached for one of his many medical books, Nami grabbed a shirt and her sun chair, Luffy _tried _to grab some food but got his hand swatted, and Robin grabbed the latest book she was reading and her sunglasses.

"Yeaaah!! Beach!" Luffy and Ussop shouted in unison they both bounded off the ship and ran towards the white sandy horizon.

Zoro scooped Mizu up in one arm and held her in a position so she would not be up against the hilt of his swords. As the straw hat pirates began their walk towards the beach the town started to come to life, families roamed the streets, Shop keepers were bartering and arguing with customers, and people gathered around shop windows ooh-ing and aww-ing at the merchandise.

"So Ussop where were you?" Sanji asked his long nosed friend

"I was shopping for some new things to make weapons out of" He answered

"Find anything good?"

Ussop placed a finger on his chin and recalled all the things he bought "well I found some metal tubing, uhh iron rods, connector pieces, an old engine, and things like that."

"Sounds like fun" Nami sarcastically retorted as they neared the beach

"Big brother!" Mizu exclaimed "look! Is that the beach?" She marveled at the white sands that met the azure ocean.

"Yep this is the beach all right!" Zoro exclaimed as he took Mizu off his shoulder "go ahead…I'll be right here, it's ok." He gave her a nudge; she took off her sandals and handed them to Zoro.

Mizu looked hesitantly at the sand and then back to Zoro "um" she said quietly

"Heh" Zoro chuckled "Don't worry Mizu it's not gunna bite or anything, go ahead." He coaxed, Zoro knelt down to her level "it's just sand, don't be afraid."

Chopper walked up to Mizu and took her hand "come on, let's play!" Mizu giggled and gingerly stepped onto the sand

"Ooh!" she exclaimed as she shot an exuberant glance at Zoro "It feels funny!"

Chopper laughed and ran towards Ussop and Luffy who had gotten there before them. "Oi! Luffy Ussop" Chopper yelled and waved to his friends

"Chopper!" Luffy yelled back "over here!" Luffy and Ussop had spread out colorful towels over the white sandy ground. The rest of the group had caught up and were now relaxing and enjoying the day. Luffy, Ussop, and Chopper were playing in the shallow water jumping over the waves that rolled onto the shore. Nami and Sanji were sunbathing while Robin was once again absorbed in her book.

"Here like this" Zoro said as he showed Mizu how to shovel wet sand into the bucket "now turn it over really fast and put it on the ground, like this." Zoro swiftly flipped the bucket over and pounded it onto the ground. "Now lift it up and taadah! You have a sandcastle!"

Mizu watched him closely and then mimicked his actions, "Hah! I did it" she exclaimed as waved her hands in the air.

"Good job" Zoro said with approval "now every good sandcastle needs a flag" he said as he picked up a twig out of the sand. "Find a good sized leaf for the flag" Zoro watched as Mizu scampered over to the nearest tree and began searching for a good sized leaf.

Her small hands dug into the grainy sand as she searched for other things to accent her newly built castle. Mizu came across a couple more twigs, an old bottle cap, a papery leaf, and a tiny crab skeleton; she rushed back to Zoro to show him what she found.

"Look!" Mizu said proudly as she spread all of her treasures out before their castle "I even found a leaf!"

"Good job Mizu" Zoro complemented "those will look great on the castle" He got on all fours and started helping Mizu place her items on the castle.

"Where does this go?" Zoro asked as he picked up the skeleton between his thumb and forefinger and held it out to her.

Mizu pondered for a moment "that goes out in front of the castle, to scare away all the people."

"Ok here we go" Zoro said as he placed the skeleton in front of the castle entrance which was a piece of tree bark.

They both sat up and looked at the castle "hmm" he said "it's missing something."

"Really?" Mizu asked thinking of what else there was to put on the castle.

"Yep come with me, I'll show you" Zoro said standing up and dusting off his pants, they walked over to the shoreline where Luffy, Chopper, and Ussop were playing.

"Hey guys!" Luffy exclaimed as he jumped over a small wave that was barreling towards him.

"Hey Luffy" Zoro said scanning the ground in front of them "ah!" he remarked as his eyes came across a small pink shell half buried in the wet sand. He scooped it up washed it off in the water, as he did that he saw a few more. "Cool" he thought "she'll get a kick outta these." Zoro washed off the other shells and piled them up in his hand, "Miiizu" he sang "look at these." She came skipping to him in the ankle deep water

"Yeah?" she questioned as she splashed her feet, he held out his hand and her eyes widened "what are these?!" Mizu exclaimed as she took one of the tiny pink shells and held it in the sunlight.

"Sea shells, pretty huh?"

Mizu hugged Zoro's leg "They're so beautiful! Are they for the castle?"

He nodded his head and she squealed running back to the castle with the shells,

"Hah I knew it, all kids like sea shells…I think" Zoro ran his fingers through his vibrant green hair and inhaled the salty sea breeze "It's not every day that we pirates get a day off, I think I could get used to this."

Nami was watching Zoro interact with Mizu "Sanji-kun?" she asked

Sanji rolled over onto his side facing Nami "What is it?" he replied lowering his sun glasses so he could see her.

"It's crazy, one day Zoro's all oh look at me I'm a bad ass, then this girl shows up and BAM he's all parental like."

Sanji smirked "yeah I know, I've noticed but I like it, I think this does him some good."

Nami gazed up at a single cotton cloud that was floating without a care in the sky "yeah I agree…So what's gunna happen. I mean I love her and all but a pirate's life is too dangerous for a sweet girl like her."

Sanji looked at Nami, reading her expression; he knew she was right he just hated to admit it. "We'll figure something out don't worry Nami-Swan."

"I guess you're right, we just can't avoid the issue we'll have to talk about it eventually."

"But until then" Sanji began "let's just enjoy her while we have her."

"Yeah" Nami said as she absentmindedly looked over to the two but then something caught her eye. "No" she wearily said in a panicked tone as her eyes widened "Sanji-kun! Look!!" Nami pointed a finger over towards the beach entrance. A mob of blue and white clad soldiers were running towards the beach.

"Shit the marines!!!" Sanji yelled "Luffy, Ussop, Chopper let's go!" he pointed to the marines and everyone immediately took action. Luffy shot himself towards the mob while Ussop backed him up by flinging various weapons at them.

Mizu looked up at the commotion "Wha-" She was cut off by chopper who was in his jumper form. He grabbed Mizu and ran away into the foliage just as Nami told him to.

"Zoro behind you!" he yelled, but the swordsman's senses were keen enough to know that an enemy was behind him.

"Excuse me for a moment" he calmly said to his opponent as he untied the bandana from his exposed bicep "I never fight without this on." Zoro tied the bandana around his head and unsheathed his swords, calmly placing one into his mouth he took up a battle stance and waited for his opponent to attack. A few more marines joined the fight against Zoro, forming a circle around him. He flashed the marines a toothy demonic grin and went in for the kill, holding his swords upright he closed his eyes and shot foreword mumbling a few words and then spinning in a cyclone fashion. Crossing his swords in an impressive set of elaborate patterns, the marines were too focused on him to move. Zoro Sliced through the mans torso, and then through another, then another, finally he became bored and decided to finish them all off with one move. Crossing his swords in the shape of an X he spun in a circle, his swords danced through the air as they slashed everyone who stood in his way. Surveying the damage Zoro flicked the blood off his blades and sheathed them, looking over to his friends, he saw that everyone else had pummeled the marines into the sand. This was a battle ground now not a place of enjoyment, the blood mixed with the sand creating a sticky substance that stuck to their feet. Disposing the bodies' way out into the ocean they started to clean the mess they made. Luffy stretched his arms out flat to make a shovel, he scooped up all the nasty soiled sand and slingshotted it out into the ocean while Zoro and Sanji hauled clean sand to replace the sand they ruined. No one spoke a word until Sanji asked where Mizu was, he broke out into a cold sweat "where is she?!" he thought in panic

"Don't worry Sanji-kun" Nami said "I asked Chopper to take her away, so she wouldn't get hurt."

Zoro sighed with relief "thank god" he thought to himself "I should go find her." He wandered over to the clump of trees where choppers tail was sticking out. "Mizu?" He poked his head out from behind the tree, she was curled up into a little ball covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut rocking back and forth as Chopper protectively stood over her. "Mizu?" Zoro reached down and touched her shoulder, she gasped on contact and tried to squirm away. Chopper dismissed himself without saying a word; Zoro crawled over to her shivering body and picked her up.

"Nooo!" Mizu squealed in terror "I don't wanna die" she still had her eyes shut.

Zoro wrapped his tanned muscular arms around her, embracing her into a hug; sitting cross-legged he rocked her back and forth hushing her.

"Mizu, open your eyes it's me" he said gently

Her tiny eyes fluttered open and she buried her face into his chest sobbing "w-why?" she whispered as she choked back some of her tears "w-why did you have to hurt them?"

"Mizu" Zoro cooed as he put his chin on top of her head "I'm an outlaw; they think we're criminals, they were going to hurt you."

She sniffled and wiped her tears "why?"

Zoro frowned "because you're with me, they would have thought you were with us and they would have killed you."

Mizu gazed up at him with sorrowful yet admirable eyes "you did that for me?" She asked as her little body shivered.

"Of course I did, I wouldn't want you to get hurt Mizu" He hugged her small form and stroked her sun dried hair.

Mizu burst out into another fit of crying "t-thank you big brother" she let the tears fall this time, but this time they weren't tears of sorrow, but those of joy. "No one ever cared about me before, not even my momma, but then you found me and now… now I feel like I belong wif you." She started to cry again and Zoro felt tears build up in his own eyes

"What is this?" Zoro thought as he felt a single tear run down his cheek "I never cry"

"Big Brother?" She asked as she looked up at him

"hhm?" He replied as he quickly wiped the tear off his face "what is it?"

Mizu studied his face for a moment "you can cry too, it's ok I wont tell anyone."

Zoro smiled at her "silly girl, I don't cry" he said as a few tears ran down his face "…I don't cry" he repeated chocking back tears, Mizu laid her head down on his chest and reached for a tear that was sliding down his face

"Then what's this?" She asked still sniffling

"I don't know" he replied, and for the first time in a long time Roronoa Zoro cried his heart out for so many reasons. He was so overjoyed that he found Mizu, He was confused on how she understood him so well, he cried for Mizu because he knew what it felt like to not be loved by anyone, and lastly he cried just because he had held it in for so long.

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**yeah i suck at wrighting fighting scenes so please ignore the quality on that paragraph XD **

**Yeah i know i couldn't help myself, there had to be some emotional chapter in this story _somewhere _! So yeah please tell me what you think and if you have any idead i would totaly try to work them into the story! Thanks for reading :)**


	6. decisions

**Ok here's chapter 6 and man o man do i have some good plot ideas for where this is headed, but you'll have to see wheen i post them! haha, anyway sorry this chapeter isn't as long as the last, i'll try to keep them at a decent length! So go ahead and enjoy!**

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"Zorroo?" Nami yelled "Where are youuu?" She looked around in desperation "Zoro?"

"Whaaaat?!" He yelled back in an annoyed tone, Zoro was trying to cover up the fact that he had been crying. "Ugh if everyone knew I cried…" he thought as he pictured his crew thinking he was soft. He looked down at his tear stained shirt and took it off "hah now there's no way for them to know I was crying." He thought proudly "I'm so smart"

Mizu lazily looked up at Zoro, "Big brother" she began "I think Auntie-Nami's looking for us."

He smacked his forehead "Oh yeah, I forgot…come on Mizu let's go." Zoro stood up and dusted the dirt off his pants and then offered his hand to the little girl. She wrapped her tiny fingers around his hand and used his strength to pull her self up.

"Thanks" Mizu gave him a tired smile and held onto the swordsman's hand

"Sleepy?" he asked her as they made their way back to the beach

She nodded her head in agreement

Zoro grinned and scooped up Mizu so her head was against his chest "better?"

She yawned and snuggled up against his warm body, "mmhmm."

"There you are! We were looking for you!" Nami scolded as she ran over to the two

"Hello Nami" He replied in a bored monotone voice

"Don't you Hello Nami me!" she yelled in his ear, he cringed at her shrill voice as she lectured him about the responsibility of taking care of a kid and how he needed to stop fooling around and act like an adult instead of sleeping and fighting . He ignored her and just kept nodding his head to keep her happy.

"Nami" Robin said as she walked over to her friends "They're both fine, and besides I think all this yelling will wake up little Mizu." They looked down at the girl in Zoro's arms; she was fast asleep clutching his arm.

"I guess you're right" Nami sighed "I'm taking Luffy and them back to the ship so I'll see you there."

"Ok" Robin smiled "we'll be there in a few" She looked over to Zoro who was stroking Mizu's hair and smiling to himself "right Zoro?"

"Yeah uh sure" He said, Robin had brought him back to reality

Nami looked at the two suspiciously "ok…?" She turned around and yelled over to her captain "Luffy let's get going."

As she headed towards her friends Robin and Zoro began walking the opposite direction.

"So what are we gunna do with her" Robin began "How are we going to keep her safe from things like this? I know you don't want to hear it, but we may have to consider letting her go…" She gazed sadly at the Mizu "May I?" She asked Zoro holding out her arms

"Yeah go ahead" He said enthusiastically transferring Mizu from his arms to Robin's

"She really is something huh?" He said looking down at his sand covered feet

'mm" Robin agreed, they kept walking "I can tell you're attached to her you know"

Zoro looked up "really?"

"Yeah, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out" She laughed

"Once again you hurt my feelings…how cruel of you" he smiled back, his face be came somber as he recalled his childhood and how much of him he saw in her. "You know what's crazy Robin?"

"What?" She answered looking at him

Zoro stared at the setting sun and the gold and pink hues in the sky that blended together "I keep thinking that she is my kid, I see so much of me in her, I would just hate to loose her…"

"I'm sorry Zoro" she replied and toughed his arm for comfort

"Yeah…" He stuck both hands behind his head and laughed sheepishly "I don't know what's come over me lately…" he kept laughing "today I even cried" his face became serious "I never cry…why now?" Zoro questioned

"Seriously?" Robin asked in astonishment "you cried?" She looked at his face and tried to picture him crying but could not.

He ran his fingers through his seaweed green hair and looked at Robin "Yeah…It was crazy, it came out of no where, one minute I'm trying to calm down Mizu" he paused for a moment "and then the next minute I'm sobbing out of control!" Zoro plopped down on the sandy beach in frustration "Does this mean I'm getting soft or something?"

Robin daintily sat down next to him and placed Mizu in his arms. "No, that just means you care about her." She propped her head up with her elbow and looked at Zoro "I think it's good for you."

"Why?" he questioned as he played with the ends of Mizu's hair

"Because people need to be loved…even you Zoro, strength is nice but in the end its love that counts."

He thought about what she said for a moment "Love huh?" he thought "…love"

"Seagulls chattered as they flew over their heads the edges of the sky were beginning to turn a soft purple and the gold and pink colors were beginning to fade out, letting the night slowly engulf them until tomorrow when they would return and then the same thing would happen again. Life is like a wheel, slowly turning bit by bit, things may faze you at times, but life still goes on, the wheel still spins, the world still rotates, and the sun still rises. "I can't avoid the future" he thought "but I'm still gunna do everything I can to keep Mizu and I together."

"I know what you're thinking" Robin said without looking at him "and I want to help"

"Thanks Robin, that means a lot to me"

Robin stood up and shook the sand from her legs "We should get going, I can only save you from Nami so many times you know."

"Hah I know I know" Zoro stood up and shifted Mizu onto his back so he was carrying her piggyback style "Let's go."

They were walking out of the beach entrance when Robin pushed them back and hid in the shadows, three marine officers were walking into the beach entrance discussing what seemed to be a tedious conversation.

"Yeah group four went missing, they were sent to the beach on a strawhat sighting, but they didn't return." The one man said to his partner

"Ah so that's what the commotion is all about"

"Yeah, right now we are making plans to search the whole town, they could be anywhere."

"Ugh the paperwork for that is going to take forever to fill out" the one marine moaned

"Yeah, but just think of it! Roronoa Zoro 80 million plus Monkey D. Luffy 120 million, Nico Robin 80 million! It'll be such a great reward" The marine marveled in his own fantasy "Think of all that money, that's a huge amount, plus add in all of the other crew members and that's even more! Ahh we have to find them soon!"

"Yeah I want that reward!" the other one agreed "when will the searching commence?"

"I'm guessing in about three or four days"

"That soon!" Zoro thought in a panic "how can I ossibly make a decision in that short amount of time!?" Robin touched his arm and slid a finger to her lips, she motioned for him to follow her and together they escaped back to the ship where they would have to start making preparations to leave in a few days.

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**Oh no! Only a few days left for Zoro to make his dcision about Mizu! What's going to happen!?!? (i know what's going to happen but do you?!)**

**Anyway sorry i got so poetic towards the middle, old habbits die hard i guess XD**

**Ok so now go and review if you wanna let me know how I'm doing! **


	7. Lovley

**Ok this chapter is longer than the last one i promise! Anywho when i was writing a got a sudden burst of inspiration so we'll see where the story goes from here! **

**Enjoy :)**

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The Night Sky was like an endless vortex of black that engulfed all light except the stars shining in the sky like the many beacons of a lighthouse. The waters were silent as they slowly rocked the boat back and forth in a rhythmic pattern. Zoro was slouched in his usual spot by the mast pole but tonight he was not asleep. He buried his head in his hands as he desperately tried to think of what he was going to do about Mizu "I might have to give up the best thing that has ever happened to me." He thought with despair as he listened to the soft ocean waves lap against the ship's hull. "Ugh" he moaned, Zoro massaged his temples and tried to think "I still have a few days to make a decision about her." Zoro said aloud as he leaned back against the smooth wood of the mast and closed his eyes.

Mizu peeked out from behind the upper deck and sank to the floor, she didn't like how much trouble she was causing for her big brother. "I have to do something to show him I can work hard too!" she said eagerly "I'll show him that I won't be a bother!" Mizu scampered down the steps and crawled into Zoro's lap; she cuddled up against his chest and promptly fell asleep with a smile on her face.

She woke up early the next morning before any of the crew was up, "ok!" Mizu exclaimed "Time to get to work!" she carefully avoided the creaking floor boards and made her way to the kitchen. Mizu poked her head into the kitchen and looked around to see if the coast was clear "all right" she whispered "I can do this" Mizu dragged a chair over to the kitchen counter and struggled to climb up. "unngh" she moaned as she finally managed to get atop of the chair. "Oh!" she exclaimed "a good chef always has an apron" she remembered, Mizu reached out and grabbed onto one of Sanji's dish towels. But she reached too far and lost her balance, "aah!" she yelled, Mizu would have hit the floor if it were not for a certain fuzzy doctor who just so happened to wander into the kitchen. Chopper ran and grabbed Mizu before she hit the floor

"Mizu?" Chopper asked "what are you doing?"

She dusted off her dress looking distraught "I was trying to show everyone that I can help too…but" she sniffled "I'm too small"

Chopper put a hoof on her shoulder "I'm small too Mizu" he said as he pointed to himself "and I help everyone all the time, so if I can help out the crew then that means you can too."

Mizu's face lit up "really!?"

Chopper nodded his head "come on let me help you out"

"Ok!" Mizu extended her hand "Big brother said that you should always shake hands with your partner before you do anything else!"

Chopper smiled and shook her hand "Ok now how about I make breakfast while you sweep?"

Mizu enthusiastically reached for the broom and began to sweep the dust into a pile

"Aah" Chopper thought "Sanji better be grateful! I just saved his kitchen" he chuckled to himself as he cracked an egg into a sizzling pan.

Nami was sprawled out on her bed in her light blue pajamas, half of her body was under the covers and half was sticking out. Her hair was mess, and her blankets were all wrinkled. Mizu crawled up onto Nami's bed and looked around; Maps of all kind covered her half of the wall. Some were incomplete, some had various lines and colors on them, but one in particular caught her eye, this map was old the corners were frail looking and yellowed with age, light gray shapes were scattered out through out what appeared to be the ocean. A faded dotted red line was the only speck of color on the entire page, "ooh!" Mizu cooed she went to touch it but she remembered her original task. She crawled over to the sleeping Nami and noticed a large blue tattoo on her shoulder "huh?" She questioned as she poked it, Nami twitched and Mizu shook her head back and forth "stay on task" she thought "Auntie-Nami" she gently said as she shook her shoulder

Nami awoke with a flinch "what? Who is it?" she asked groggily

"It's Mizu" she answered "I brought you some breakfast"

Nami sat up and patted her head in approval "really?"

"mmhmm!" She replied with enthusiasm as she crawled down off Nami's bed and lifted the breakfast tray up to her. "Me and Puppy made it" she exclaimed proudly with a smile.

Nami took the tray and looked at the plate piled with scrambled eggs and toast she smiled at Mizu's attempt. "Mmm it looks delicious, thank you Mizu you're such a big help!"

Mizu's smile widened and she gave out a tiny laugh "really!?"

"Yep" Nami agreed "breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

Mizu smiled and looked over to Robin who was the complete opposite of Nami and was sleeping in a graceful manner, her side of the room was very neat and tidy, a small bookshelf sat along the far wall and was stacked with books of all shapes and sizes. A stack of paper and more books occupied the desk while the two of them shared a small closet for all their clothing. "Robin doesn't eat much in the mornings" Nami said stuffing her mouth with eggs, "She'd probably like it if you peeled a few tangerines and made some toast for her." Nami hinted

"Thanks Auntie-Nami!" Mizu exclaimed as she scampered out the door to pick a few tangerines off Nami's trees.

"Hmm" Mizu thought as she examined the bushel of ripe orange fruit, "This one looks yummy" She gingerly plucked it off the tree "Ok now for the toast"

Mizu looked out at the ocean for a brief moment "I hope I can stay here forever" she thought "I love it here" She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen "Puppy! Auntie-Nami said that Auntie-Robin would probably want toast and fruit" She handed him the small tangerine

"Ok you're the chef!" Chopper said as he turned around and began peeling the fruit, "hey I made some eggs for Sanji" he began "do you wanna take them to him?"

"Yes!" Mizu grabbed the plate in excitement, glad that she could be useful. She walked out of the kitchen slowly waked down the stairs to the guy's bunker where they slept. Holding the tray in both hands she looked amongst the men for the blond chef who was peacefully sleeping with one leg hanging out of his hammock and a smoldering cigarette hanging off his bottom lip. "Uncle-Sanji" Mizu said as she placed the tray onto the floor

"uuh" Sanji moaned as he woke up "what is it now Luffy?!" he scolded as he rubbed his eyes.

"umm" Mizu said "I-I"

Sanji realized that it was not Luffy's whiney voice "Oh!" he said when he saw Mizu "well now, you're much prettier than Luffy!"

Mizu giggled and handed his the tray of food "M-me and Puppy made everyone breakfast."

Sanji raised an eyebrow "really now, how cute you are my little chef!" He took the tray and eyeballed the food "Hmm this looks great! Good job Chef number 2!" Sanji praised.

Mizu giggled again and looked to Luffy who was snoring rather loudly "he eats a lot" she said "I guess I'll have to feed him last!"

Sanji laughed and stood up holding the tray in one hand "that plan will work as long as he doesn't wake up!"

"Hmmm I guess I'll have to be quiet then" she whispered "ok bye bye Uncle-Sanji, I have more of my friends to feed" she smiled gleefully.

"Ok then" he whispered back "get to it my little chef, make me proud!"

Mizu tip toed back upstairs to the kitchen to help chopper "I'm back Puppy!" she sang as she stepped back into the kitchen "Is Robin's breakfast ready?"

Chopper glanced up from the sizzling eggs he was tending to "yep it's right over there" he pointed over to the table.

"Ok thanks!" Mizu grabbed the plate and made her way to Robin and Nami's room once more.

"Good morning Mizu" Robin said as she folded her blankets and pressed them flat, Mizu offered her the plate "my my" She exclaimed with surprise "this looks delicious is it for me?"

"Yep" Mizu smiled "me and Puppy are makin breakfast!"

Robin flashed her a pleasant smile "that sounds like fun, thank you for breakfast Mizu."

"Mmhmm!" Mizu exclaimed returning her smile, she walked back to the kitchen and sat on the floor in exhaustion "whew" she wiped the sweat off her forehead "this is hard work."

"But you're doing such a great job" Chopper said as he shoveled some eggs onto a plate "I already fed Luffy" he said "He smelled Sanji's food and came to pester me"

"that's ok puppy" Mizu smiled as she looked up at the ceiling laying on her back "Puppy?" she asked

"What is it" Chopper replied as he cracked an egg into the pan

" Am I a…bother?"

Chopper looked confused "now why would you say that? Mizu of course you're not a bother."

"Well I always remember my momma calling me a bother when she did things like you guys do for me, like buying me a new dresses, taking me to the beach, making me food, stuff like that" Mizu paused "I just wanted to know if I was bothering anyone that's all."

Chopper walked over to her and leaned over to her face "Mizu everyone here loves you, I can't imagine _anyone _calling you a bother."

"Ok thanks puppy" She sat up and looked at the counter "all right next order goes tooo…?"

"Here take these two to Zoro" Chopper said handing her two plates heaping with food

Mizu took the two plates looking a little confused "why two?"

"Because" Chopper smiled "you deserve a break, go ahead have some breakfast. I'm going to wake up Ussop and give him his food and eat mine as well."

"Are you sure?" She questioned

"Yeah don't worry about it" he said with a smile "go ahead"

"thanks puppy!" She said happily as she took the plates and walked out of the kitchen and over to the mast.

Mizu set the plates on the ground "big brother" she said "time to wake up"

"eeh?" Zoro said groggily "oh Mizu, good morning"

"look! She said happily as she held out the plate "me and puppy woke up reeealy early this morning and made breakfast!"

"mmm" Zoro drooled "looks good!" Mizu handed him his plate and sat down next to him

"I'm gunna eat mine too ok?" She said grabbing her plate and fork.

"Ok you go on right ahead" Zoro smiled as he took a bite of the eggs, it warmed his stomach and tasted great "mm! Good job Mizu this is delicious!" he praised

Mizu looked up from her food and smiled "I'm glad you like it, we worked hard to be useful!"

"You're much more than useful!" Zoro exclaimed as he gave her a loving pat on the head.

"Mizuuu" Nami sang "You commin?" She stood by the ladder of the ship waiting for the small girl

"Yep!" Mizu ran over to Zoro and hugged his leg "I'll be back later big brother!"

"Ok Mizu, you be good now" Zoro said as she ran back over to Nami

"Ok Auntie-Nami I'm ready!" She followed her down the ladder and the two of them headed into the town. Nami asked Mizu to come help her buy groceries but her true intention was to buy Mizu some things in case Zoro decided to keep her.

Nami stopped outside of a small dress shop "You buy groceries here?" Mizu asked confused

"No honey, I'm gunna buy you a few things ok, so don't you dare say no!"

Mizu gasped "b-but"

"Ah!" nami scolded playfully as she wagged her finger "I said not to disagree"

"Ok" Mizu said realizing that she couldn't fight against her Auntie-Nami.

They walked in to the small shop and picked out a few dresses and some assorted shirts and pants. Mizu smiled happily as she hugged Nami's leg

"Mizu why don't you get an ice cream while I pay?" She suggested

"Ok!" Mizu exclaimed as Nami handed her a few coins, She walked out of the store and over to the ice cream cart. After buying her frozen treat Mizu went and sat in the shade of a nearby tree. "Mmm" She said as she licked her ice cream "Oh what's this?" She questioned as she reached for a small pink fruit that was inside a hole in the tree. Mizu examined the fruit with curiosity, "It's pretty" she exclaimed as she turned it around in her hands. It was a vibrant pink and about the size of a golf ball, but the most curious thing was that it was in the shape of a heart. Mizu sniffed it "mm smells sweet" she brought the fruit to her lips and took a bite of it, "yummy!" She exclaimed as she finished eating it.

"Mizu!" Nami yelled as she waved over to her "let's go"

"Ok!" Mizu yelled back, she ran to Nami but when she reached her she didn't feel so good "…Auntie-Nami" Mizu said weakly "I don't feel good"

Nami bent down and held a hand up to the girl's forehead "hmm you don't have a fever…" She sighed "maybe it was that ice cream; come on you can lay down when we get back ok?" She said concerned.

"Ok" Mizu took hold of Nami's hand and they both walked back to the ship

Once they were back, Nami told Zoro that Mizu didn't feel good; Zoro freaked out and immediately went to go see her.

He knocked on the door "Mizu? Are you ok?" Zoro walked in and saw her feverishly scratching her stomach "It itches" she replied with frustration

"hmm?" Zoro walked over to her and felt her forehead just as Nami had done "no fever"

He lifted up her shirt where she was itching underneath it was a pink heart forming on her stomach. "Oh my god…what is that?!" he yelled

"B-big brother…what's wrong?" She asked nervously

"I don't know… Mizu what did you do today?"

"W-well I went with Auntie-Nami to get some things, a-and I had some ice cream"

"Is that all" Zoro asked as a cold sweat started to give him shivers

"Well I did find this yummy fruit" She answered hesitantly

Zoro's heart skipped a beat with fear as she told him about the fruit "d-devil's fruit" All the sudden he felt faint and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's that?" Mizu asked "I'm scared big brother"

Zoro pulled her into a hug "It's what Luffy ate to get his stretchy powers"

"But I don't feel any different" she said looking up at him

"I know Mizu, it's going to be ok, I'll be right here"

Zoro thought of all the devil's fruit that he could remember, all signs pointed to the lovely lovely fruit. "I'll have to look into this" Zoro thought "But this might not be a bad thing… Depending on what it does…she might just be able to stay."

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**Allright so how was it? Did you all like the plot twist? Sorry i would have elaborated more towards the end but ugh! My hands started to cramp up! Ok so review and tell me if you liked the chapter and if you like where this is going **

**:) thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far:)**


	8. Powers revealed

**Ok sorry it took so long for me to update, i was sick and i can't write well when i'm coughing every five seconds! Anywho i made this chapter nice and long to make up for it **

**So Enjoy :)**

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"Miiizu" Zoro sang as he nudged the small girl "Time to get up" 

Mizu poked her head out from under the covers "I don't wanna" she said with a smile

Zoro laughed and tickled her "oh yes you do" Mizu squealed and laughed as he tickled her sides. "Do you wanna get up _now_" he asked

"No!" Mizu laughed and scrunched up into a ball under her covers "I'm not getting up and you can't make me!"

"Oh really" Zoro asked with his hands on his hips "now hmmm what am I going to do"

Mizu stifled a giggle with her hands "Oh yeah I know!" Zoro exclaimed playfully, he scooped up her tiny body along with all her sheets and spun her in a circle listening to her laugh.

"aaah stop stop!" Mizu laughed as Zoro slung her over his shoulder

"Nope, we have a schedule to keep" he said as he grabbed one of her dresses off the nightstand next to her bed.

"Huh where are we going big brother?" Mizu asked as she tried to find her way out of the blanket.

"You'll see, now get dressed ok?" Zoro asked

"Ok!" She answered as she grabbed her dress out of his hand "now go away I gots to get dressed!" Mizu exclaimed as she tried to push Zoro out the door

"Ok ok jeez I'm goin" Zoro laughed as he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. "Hah" he thought "she's finally opened up"

Mizu stripped off her nightgown and pulled her little white dress on over her head, she slowly poked each arm through the holes as she thought about what she was going to do, "I've eaten the fruit…" She thought "…I'm scared, I don't know what it does and I feel weird inside." Mizu stretched her arms and put her hair into her usual pigtails "well there's nothing I can do about it now." She grabbed the small metal pole next to her bed and stared at it

_Flashback_

"_Hey Mizu!" Ussop yelled "come here for a minute"_

_Mizu looked over to the long nosed man leaning out of his workshop "ok uncle-Ussop" she ran over to him and he handed her a shiny metal pole that somewhat resembled Nami's. _

"_Here, it's just in case you ever run into any trouble"_

_Mizu ran her hands over the smooth cold metal with curiosity "what are these holes?"_

"_You're kinda tiny" He said putting his hand on her head and looking down "you'd have a hard time swinging something like this around."_

_Mizu stuck out her bottom lip "so!?" she retorted defensively_

"_hey hey hey" Ussop exclaimed "I never said it was a bad thing, I just put the holes in the pole so you could swing it easier, no wind resistance."_

_Mizu smiled and tightened her grip on the pole "thanks uncle-Ussop!"_

"I should probably take this with me" she thought "maybe big brother can teach me"

Zoro knocked on the door "Miizu you done in there?"

Mizu opened the door and hugged his leg "yep! Where are we gunna go!?"

Zoro looked down at the little girl attached to his leg "It's a secret" he said as he scooped her up and placed her on his shoulder "let's go."

"Ok!" Mizu made her self comfortable on Zoro's shoulder as they began their decent off the ship. Once they made it to the ground the two began their walk over to a nearby field "are we going over there?" she asked pointing to the field

"Yep sure are" he answered

"why?" Mizu questioned

"I'm curious to see what your fruit does, that's all."

Zoro slid her off his shoulder and sat down in the shade of a nearby tree; he let out a sigh and lay back in the lush green grass. Admiring her big brother from afar Mizu gripped her pole.

"I can do this" she thought "just go over there and ask him why am I nervous?"

Zoro opened one eye and looked over at Mizu "hey" he said closing his eye again "come over here."

Mizu faithfully obeyed and trotted over to him "yes?"

"I know Ussop gave you that pole to defend your self, do you know how to use it?" he asked

"…no" she replied looking ashamed

"Do you want to learn how to use it?"

Mizu's head perked up "Yes will you teach me?"

Zoro sighed and sat up "no"

Mizu felt her eyes begin to water "oh" she said in a disappointed tone

"What I mean is no I can't teach you, I'm only good with swords, but I'm sure that Nami can help you."

Mizu sat down next to Zoro and spun her newly acquired weapon around her fingers "you think Auntie-Nami will really teach me?"

"Yeah I know she will" Zoro said "and look you're already pretty good with it"

Mizu looked up at him, her face glowing with happiness "you think so!?"

"Yeah look, I can't do that; I'd probably smack my head or something stupid like that."

Mizu laughed and thought of something that had been bothering her "Big brother?" she asked

Zoro raised an eyebrow "what?" he looked over to Mizu who was playing with her pigtail nervously.

"Why are" Mizu was cut off by the sound of a yelling mob coming over the hill

"Shit!" Zoro exclaimed as he noticed that the mob was wearing uniforms "marines! Mizu comeon!"

Mizu jumped onto his shoulder and hung on for dear life as Zoro tried to sprint away from the approaching marine mob. "No use" he thought "I have to fight them" Zoro skidded to a stop and ripped the bandana off his arm, Mizu watched with awe, she had never seen Zoro fight before. He unsheathed his swords and placed one in his mouth "Mizu" he said sternly say here "I don't want you to get hurt, ok?"

"Ok" she agreed as she slid off his shoulder and hid behind a tree

"That's my girl … please understand that I don't like to do this, but I have to if we're to remain safe ok?"

"It's ok I remember what you told me the other day at the beach, go and win big brother!"

Zoro smiled and tightened his grip on both swords "good girl" he muttered as he barreled towards the mob. Jumping into the air he preformed a sequence of sword fighting techniques and sliced through the men like cutting paper. He dodged a sword blade that was thrust at him by stepping to the left then plunged his own blade into the man's stomach. Blood spurt from the man's wound as he screamed and fell to the ground; another man came at him from behind, with a demonic look in his eye Zoro back flipped into the air and sliced through the man's shoulder. "awww you stained my shirt" Zoro said dismayed as he looked down at his nice white shirt that was covered in blood spatter. A few of the remaining men backed up, afraid of his nonchalant manner, "what are you lookin at, why don't you guys just go away, I don't wanna have to kill you."

Just as he finished his sentence he looked over to Mizu's hiding spot and saw another group of marines heading towards her. He broke out into a cold sweat as he saw that they had guns "shit Mizu!!" Zoro yelled as he cut down the remaining marines in his path and ran as fast as he could to her aid.

The world seemed to stop spinning as he ran his heart was pounding in his ears and he could feel himself sweating profusely. "Hold on Mizu I'm coming!" he yelled, she was in his sight, they had cornered her against a tree and were aiming their guns. Zoro pushed himself to run faster, he felt sick to his stomach; he just couldn't seem to run fast enough.

"Ok little girl play times over" the lead marine said as he switched the safety off on his gun "just be good and stand still so we can get this over with."

Mizu felt scared, to scared to move, to scared to think, to scared to yell for help. It was over she closed her eyes as she heard the clicking of guns as the rest of the mob followed their leaders actions.

"ready…" the man yelled "FIRE!" The sound of gunshots was the only sound Zoro could hear as he saw spurts of blood fly into the air. He couldn't speak, Zoro was at a loss for words he just kept running as fast as he could holding on to the last shred of hope that she had survived. He skidded to a stop with tears streaming down his face, pools of blood and bodies littered the ground "where's Mizu?" he panicked "Mizu!?!?" Zoro yelled, hearing no response he sank to his knees, not caring that his pants were being drenched in blood. The world was at a stand still Mizu was gone and it was because he couldn't protect her.

"B-big brother?" a small voice said "it's ok" she placed a small cold hand on his shoulder

A shiver crawled up his spine as her hand made contact with his shoulder "M-Mizu!?" He turned around and saw the small girl hovering in the air with some kind of pink glowing force field around her. Zoro's eyes widened as he saw her "Mizu?" he asked again.

She nodded her head slowly "yes"

Zoro quickly reached for her and pulled her into a hug "Mizu" he sobbed "I thought you were gone"

She reached up and wiped away a bead of blood that was rolling down his forehead "me too."

Zoro stood up still holding Mizu in his arms "people will be here any minute we need to get away." They dashed into the woods, the trees were so close together that they had to turn sideways to make it further in. "We need to find some water or something, walking into town with all this blood on our clothes isn't the best idea."

"Yeah" Mizu agreed quietly

Zoro looked up at her "so what exactly went on back there"

She thought for a moment and sighed "well when they fired their guns, I wasn't scared anymore, I remember holding out my hand and some shiny pink thing came out and reflected the bullets back to them and then they were dead and the pink thing went into my body. "

Zoro smiled "thank god you ate that fruit"

"You think it was the fruit that protected me?" Mizu questioned

"No…" Zoro said "I think it was your power that did, every devil's fruit has a different power no two are the same."

"Wow" Mizu said in awe "does that mean I'm special?"

"You were already special, well to me anyway." Zoro smiled as he spotted a small creek nestled between two trees. "Aah there we go, perfect" they walked over to the creek and Zoro looked into the shimmering water, "you're one of us now Mizu, there's no going back."

"It's ok, I wanted to be part of the crew, I feel like a family with you guys, I really wanted to stay." Mizu said swirling her finger in the water watching the ripples grow

"Ok let's get cleaned up" Zoro said taking his blood stained shirt off and throwing it into the water. He got down on his knees and swirled his shirt around scrubbing the stains with his fingers. Mizu looked down at her own dress, it was splattered with blood as well following the same suit as Zoro she took off her dress and swirled it around in the water. The water began to turn a brownish red as their clothes started to clean up. "You know Mizu, that's not very lady like" he said laughing

"What isn't?" She questioned as she gave him a confused look

Zoro just laughed and placed his now clean shirt on her shoulders

"Oh" she exclaimed as she flushed "oops I'm sorry big brother"

"Nah don't worry about it, you're still little so it's ok" Zoro sat down and pulled off his pants **(a/n . i had to put this in here!)**. "Aah damn I got blood on my pants too" he threw his pants into the murky water and scrubbed away attempting to get the blood off.

Mizu laughed "you know big brother, that's not very man like"

Zoro laughed with her "yes it is, I have underwear on, besides you should see what guys do when girls aren't around."

Mizu's face turned red "n-no thanks" she giggled

Zoro went back to scrubbing his pants; out of the corner of his eye he saw a wave of water splash towards him. "waah hey what was that for!" Zoro yelled as the water splashed him right in the face.

Mizu laughed "You had some on your face!"

Zoro smiled as he had an idea "yeah well I think I see some on your face too!" He said as she splashed her.

After they had their fun and their clothes dried, they both started back towards the town.

"Hey big brother!" Mizu exclaimed "look!" she held out her hands

"What in the hell is that!?!" Zoro yelled jumping back away from Mizu

"I don't know but it's so pretty!" Mizu giggled as a little pink translucent ball began floating around her head.

"Hmm" Zoro said as he poked it "OWWW!" he yelled as he sucked on his finger "that hurt!"

Mizu giggled "well then don't touch it"

Zoro took his finger out of his mouth and looked at it; a small pink heart shaped burn was forming on the tip of his finger. "What the hell? It must be that fruit"

They kept walking back to the ship; the sun began to set on the horizon, shining through the trees. The rays of sun shine made it look like the leaves on the trees were a soft golden yellow. The undergrowth snapped and crunched beneath their feet sending squirrels and rabbits running whenever they came to close to one. Mizu was laughing and running in circles playing with her pink ball friend. "I think it's a pixie!" She exclaimed as it landed in her out stretched palm.

"Really? Zoro asked "how do you know?"

It floated up to Mizu's shoulder and hovered there "I don't know what else it could be, it has a mind of its own and it moves and it's even shiny like a pixie." She reasoned

"Well believe what you want" Zoro stated as he ducked beneath a tree branch so he could continue walking.

"Momo" she said nonchalantly

"huh?" Zoro questioned "what does that mean?"

"It means that I named it Momo" she replied proudly

"That's a great name Mizu" Zoro said patting her on the head "good job"

Mizu was about to say something when Zoro covered her mouth "sssh" he whispered as he picked her up and silently began walking towards the nearest tree "get up there"

Mizu nodded and latched onto a branch, pulling herself up she began to climb further up until she was out of sight. Zoro followed her; they both sat in the tree top shielded by the leaves. Suddenly a group of marines emerged from where they were just standing a few moments ago.

"I thought I heard them" one said

"Me too, I could've sworn that they went this way."

Zoro peered through the leaves and got a better view of their followers "were being tracked" he thought "…great"

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**Allright so what didja think? Was it good sorry for all the elaboration on blood and death and other depressing things like that, i was just trying to you know make it beleivable (yes my spelling does suck... lol) so why dontcha review and tell me your thoughts!**


	9. Keigo

**AAh here we are...another chapter let's see i included a sanjiXNami moment for all you SxN fans (including myself) lol**

**So Enjoy and don't forget to review!!**

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One of the marines knelt down and felt the dirt with his fingers, "they were here" he stated as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. "But the question is where did they go?" The man rested a thin pale finger on his chin as he surveyed the area, "no paths, no bent undergrowth, no sign of where they went." He sighed

"Hey Keigo stop talking to yourself" one of the other marines sneered "do your job dead weight."

Keigo looked over his shoulder back to the group "Oi, shut up" he yelled "I'm the only one who can track him out of this whole incompetent group Todo."

Todo gave him a throaty growl and reached out and grabbed him by his shirt collar. "Remember your place scum, now go find him" He shoved Keigo back and turned his back on him "My swords feeling a tad dull if you catch my drift" Todo flashed him a toothy smile and walked back to the group.

Keigo loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, "if I wasn't in this situation then I would cut him down." He thought as he strolled away from the group pretending to survey the area some more. He really didn't have to; he knew exactly where the elusive Zoro was hiding. "I don't want to give him away" Keigo thought "he's just trying to survive, just like me." He looked up at the sky; dusk was approaching quickly thin pink rays of sunlight reflected in the sky as they mixed with golden yellows and pure blues. The forest was alive with its inhabitants as they scampered about trying to get settled before night set in. The forest smelled of wood and fresh cut grass with a hint of cool evening air vibrant green leaves rustled in the wind creating a peaceful setting, Keigo closed his eyes to take in all the sounds and smells. That is he _tried_ to except a low annoying voice broke his tranquility,

"Hey!" Todo screamed "we're heading back to the ship to tell about our success" he shot Keigo a dirty look "or I should say lack of success. Anyway don't come back without his head on a golden platter runt." Todo gestured the group to follow him as he began to walk the way they had some.

"I hope they get lost" Keigo snickered "that would make this day much better"

He waited for a moment until he could no longer hear the undergrowth crunch beneath his comrade's feet. Looking around he made sure they were gone, with a satisfied look plastered on his face he yelled "Hey swordsman, I know you're up there."

Zoro snapped back to reality when he herd Keigo's voice address him, cautiously he peered out of the tree and snuck a look at who was calling him out. He was leaning against a tree relaxing with his eyes closed. He had navy blue boyish messy hair that slightly covered his eyes, a ripped hole in his marine uniform pants, and a silver stud in his ear.

"He's got to be young" Zoro thought looking at him again "maybe about 17-18ish"

Keigo opened one eye and looked over to the tree where Zoro and Mizu were hiding "I know you're up there, I have no intentions of hurting you, that's why I didn't reveal you to my comrades."

Zoro stood up on the sturdy branch with a sleeping Mizu in his arms, Momo floated above her shoulder protectively. "I guess he's ok" Zoro said jumping down from branch to branch till he landed with a solid thunk on the ground below him.

Keigo looked over and surveyed the swordsman "hmm you're scarier in person" he laughed

Zoro raised an eyebrow "you look kinda young to be in the marines…how old are you?"

"18" he answered kicking his foot in the dirt "why do you care?"

Zoro smirked and sat on the ground "I dunno, just trying to make conversation"

Keigo's eyes lit up "conversation with a real pirate!" he said dreamily "man will people be jealous!" He strolled over to where Zoro was and sat down a few feet away from him, "so who's that?" he said pointing to Mizu

Zoro adjusted her sleeping form so they were both comfortable "she's my kid" he answered

Keigo looked shocked "y-you have a kid?!" he studdered exasperated "the demon swordsman Zoro has a kid?!"

Zoro gave him an annoyed look "jeez you wanna say it again kid? Anyway she's not technically mine, I found her but I consider her mine."

Keigo glanced at him with a puzzled look

"I'm not a demon!" Zoro yelled "why does everyone think that!?"

It was Keigo's turn to laugh "why?! Because you've killed so many marines" he exclaimed thrusting his arms into the air with excitement

"So why aren't you scared of me?" Zoro questioned "if I've killed so many marines then how come you're shootin the breeze with me right now?"

"Dunno" he replied "bored I guess" Keigo laid back on the ground looking up at the sky

Zoro chuckled "you're all right kid" he said "by the way what's your name, I herd that one guy mention it but I don't remember it"

"Aah you mean commander Todo" he said with disgust "I hate that guy, but he's my commander so I have to put up with him."

"Why?" Zoro asked looking at Keigo with interest

"Eh it's not my decision; it's my old man's, if I had things my way I wouldn't be in the marines. I'd be a pirate! Man that'd be so cool!" he marveled as he day dreamed

"What's so marvelous about being a pirate?" Zoro asked bringing him back to reality

Keigo gave him an exasperated look "Whaaa? Aren't you a pirate Zoro-san?"

"Yeah, I'm just curious as to why everyone and their brother wants to be a pirate"

"Freedom man" Keigo said running a hand through his hair "everyone wants to be free, to take life as it comes, yah know?" He questioned

"Good answer" Zoro said "if you would have said something about fighting I would have had to smack you."

Keigo stood up and walked into the high grass

"Hey what are you doin?" Zoro asked as he looked at the boy hunched over in the grass

"Collectin' some wood, it's getting dark" he replied

Zoro looked up at the sky, a deep blue was slowly dominating over all the other colors in the sky, and the faint glow of stars was slowly becoming visible. They had been talking for so long that he hadn't noticed that night was creeping upon them. "Oh" he said looking back down to Mizu and Momo. "Damn that things bright" he said squinting at the pink light that radiated off the tiny pixie. Almost as if on cue the translucent creature dimmed down its light "ahh um thanks" Zoro said unsure if the pixie could hear him speak or night.

Keigo returned with an arm load of twigs and tree branches "Ok I got some wood" he stated as he dropped the load onto the ground and began to make a fire.

(Back on the Going Merry)

Nami paced back and forth in her room "where are they?" she thought "it's going to get dark soon." Luffy and the others had gone to look for Zoro and Mizu while Sanji and Nami stayed to guard the Merry. The cabin floor creeked under her feet as she made her way to the door "I'll go see Sanji-kun" she said turning the cold door knob in her hands. Nami had made it halfway down the stairs before she began to hear a particular noise. "Music?" she questioned "where is it coming from?" she followed the sounds until she reached the kitchen door, "Sanji-kun?" she thought as she watched him pour something into a pan. Nami looked down and noticed that the door was open a crack "I better be quiet" she thought as she waited for Sanji to resume singing. He mumbled a few words and then burst out into a melodic trill.

"_aand the shaaadow of the day, will embrace the world in gray, and the suuun will set for you"_

Sanji sang as if no one was there, he hit every note perfectly and knew every trill like the back of his hand. It was just him and his cooking…or so he thought, outside of the kitchen Nami was dazed with awe,

"How come he's never sang before?!" She thought "he is amazing" she whispered as Sanji trilled on another note adding his own special twist on the end, she herd the clanking of plates and the familiar sound of his metal whisk against a ceramic bowl. He hummed a few verses and sang a few words aloud. Nami sat down next to the door, a slight blush spread across her face, "why do I feel this way" she asked herself, she felt her heart flutter as he began to sing again. "He thinks he's alone" Nami smiled to herself "not for long" she slunk into the kitchen with cat like stealth, sat herself on a chair and dreamily propped her head up on her hands as she listened to him sing. The melody of his singing filled the room; Sanji grabbed an empty tray with one hand and turned around.

"Waah!!!" He yelled as the tray dropped to the ground with a clang

"Aah!" Nami reacted "I-I'm sorry Sanji-kun, I couldn't help it I wanted to hear you sing."

Sanji tried to cover his spreading blush "I-I uhh" he stuttered "h-how long have you been there?"

Nami leaned back in her chair "only a few seconds" she answered "why you embarrassed or sumthin?" she smirked playfully

Sanji's felt himself flush again "well to be honest…kinda"

Nami watched him turn back around to finish what he was cooking "you shouldn't be embarrassed" she stated as she stood up and waltzed over to the blond chef.

He lowered his head trying to cover up the blush that was spread over his face "why? Pretty much everyone is embarrassed when other people hear them sing" he said

Nami had studied his body language before, she knew that when something was bothering him his shoulders would get really stiff, she knew that if he was angry he would beat the crap out of whatever he was cooking and right after he was done he'd step outside for a smoke, and she knew when he was embarrassed because he would try to hide his face.

"Sanji-kun" she said quietly "please don't be embarrassed" Nami slunk up behind the chef and snaked her arms around his waist "I like your singing"

Sanji shuddered with surprise as he felt her warm body press against his back

"thanks" he whispered as he turned around and hugged her back, smelling her sweet perfume that drove him crazy.

Nami buried her head into his chest, succumbing to her desire to be near him, she breathed in his familiar scent of earthy spices and cigarette smoke. She tightened her grip and suddenly felt her eyes begin to water.

"Hey" he said gently as he felt her body quiver "what's wrong?" Sanji pulled away from her and tried to get a look at her face.

"I-it's nothing" Nami said wiping her eyes with her arm "don't worry about it"

Sanji gently touched her arm "Nami-san… you hardly ever cry, I know something's bothering you" he stopped to take a breath "you don't have to tell me…just know that I'll be right here if you wanna talk"

She gave him a shy smile and leaned back against the counter "I don't know why I started to cry…I guess I was just worried about Mizu, they haven't come back yet and the marines are everywhere." Sanji dunked a floating tea bag into a red mug and handed it to Nami.

"Here, just the way you like it, maybe this will make you feel a little better"

"thanks" she replied as she gratefully took the mug and took a sip, she let the sweet lemon flavor of the tea roll around on her tongue.

"Good?" he questioned, looking for a reaction

Nami lifted her head "mmhmm" she replied "it's soothing like always"

Sanji flashed her a smile before returning back to his cooking "So where do you think they are?"

Nami swirled her finger in her tea watching the steam float lethargically in the warm evening air, "I have no clue…I hope they're ok"

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**Sorry i know the song shadow of the day isn't in that time period but hey i was listening to it so deal:P**

**Yeah it's not one of my better chapters but hey everyone has their off days! So please review and tell me what you think or if you ahve any ideas, i already know how it's going to end (durr i'm the writer!) but if you have any little things you'd like to see in the story then please feel free to let me know and i'll see if i can work it in:)**


	10. I have a set naptime?

**Sorry i havn't updated in a while...i have a ton of fic.s that i need to update and i have about several others ideas in my head right now.** **Yeah but i'll try to update more!!! **

**Enjoy :)**

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Keigo, Zoro, and Mizu sat around the warmth of the fire, watching the hues of red and orange blend together like liquid magma. "Hey" Keigo said after a long period of silence, "don't you guys have to get back to your ship, the others might come back looking for me, and if they find you then you'll have to fight again."

Zoro gave him a nonchalant glance "I'm not afraid of fighting" he said

"then why were you hiding earlier?" Keigo said with a sly smile

"I just didn't feel like it" he replied as he looked up, the sky was painted a royal dark blue dotted with specks of stars. He could hear the leaves swaying in the breeze and the occasional hoot of an owl.

"Right" Keigo remarked "I won't pry, I'm sure you have your reasons"

The three sat in silence once more, Mizu was laying on her back playing with Momo, Zoro watched the pink ball float above Mizu's head casting an erie pale glow onto her complexion.

"Now that I think about it" Zoro began "we probably should get going, the rest of the crew'll be worried about us."

"Smart choice" Keigo replied "don't risk getting caught, 'cause then the marines will search the whole cove and find your ship."

"Yeah I figured as much" Zoro stood up and picked up the sleepy girl "well Keigo, it was nice meetin' you."

Keigo brushed his navy blue hair out of his eyes "for what it's worth, it was nice meeting you too."

Zoro began to walk away "oh and one more thing" he said "don't let the fear of what other people think of you keep you from your dreams."

Keigo laughed "I don't have a choice until I'm 18, but thanks Zoro."

"No problem" He turned around again and walked away from their makeshift campsite, "it's good to know not all marines are asses" he whispered

Mizu was fast asleep on Zoro's shoulder; they were nearing the beach when Zoro heard yelling. "LUUUUFFY!!!" A shrill voice yelled "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T FIND THEM!!??"

"Nami" he cursed under his breath as if her name were a taboo that could only bring him a headache or a painful lump on his head. He was about to step out of the woods and head to the ship when he had an idea. Zoro ripped his shirt sleeve and parts of his pants then he began to limp out of the forest.

"Zoro!" Nami screamed with relief "where the hell were you!?" She bit her tongue when she saw his condition. "CHOPPER" she yelled "Zoro needs help"

"Sheesh woman shut up" he muttered under his breath "seriously you're going to give me a headache, is that what you want?!"

Luffy helped Zoro and Mizu up onto the ship "what happened?" he asked in a rather uninteresting tone "OOH! What's this?" Luffy exclaimed mesmerized by the floating pink ball "it's like a flying ball of sparkles!" He went out to poke it, but Momo zapped his finger with distaste "WAAAAH!!!" Luffy cried "that hurt!!!" he sucked on his injured finger and winced every time it throbbed.

"Well Luffy that's what you get for touching things that don't belong to you." Nami scolded as she folded her arms across her chest.

"yeah yeah you're not my mom Nami" He rolled his eyes and went to go pester Sanji for food.

"Oi" Luffy said poking his head into the kitchen "I want some…" he didn't have time to finish his sentence as the cook's boot kicked him out. "aaah" he cried "you're so mean I need to eaaaaat." Luffy grumbled as he got up off the floor

"No" Sanji replied as he shut the kitchen door "not until diner" he walked over to Nami and Zoro "Hey sword boy" he began "where have you been?"

Zoro rolled his eyes at the chef "I've been out" he said flatly

"How's Mizu?" Sanji asked as he looked for the little girl

"She's fine; Nami took her to see Chopper"

"Aah was she hurt?"

Zoro sat down and leaned against the deck railing "nah, but she put up a good fight"

Sanji raised an eyebrow as he lit a cigarette "fight?" he asked "she fought?"

Zoro chuckled "Yep, she killed at least 10" he proudly stated

"10?!" the chef choked on his own smoke "Whaaa…when did this happen?!"

"Earlier today, we were heading out to do some training and a bunch of marines showed up. Mizu used her powers to defend herself and wound up killing the entire griup that attacked her."

Zoro gave a heavy sigh and stood back up, "when she comes back out…I would recommend NOT touching that little pink thing." And with that said he walked away, leaving Sanji rather confused.

"Owww" Mizu moaned as Chopper wrapped her arm in medical gauze. "Puppy that hurts"

"I'm sorry Mizu but I don't want your wound to get infected, so I have to wrap it nice and tight."

She nodded in agreement and bit her lip as he once again began winding the thin white gauze around her upper arm.

"Hello? Chopper can I come in?" a voice from behind the door shattered the silence

"Yeah come on in" the doctor replied, he hopped down off the stack of books he was standing on and opened the door.

Zoro walked into the infirmary and sat down on the counter "Hey Mizu how are you feeling?"

A tired smile was spread across her face "I'm ok; my arm kind of hurts though"

Zoro shot her a concerned glance "What happened to your arm?"

"Mizu's smile faded and she looked down at her feet that were dangling off the bed she was sitting on. "…I don't remember" she said quietly

Zoro hopped down off the counter and sat next to her "It's ok" he replied "don't worry, Chopper is a great doctor and he can fix anything so you'll be fine."

The reindeer bashfully turned around "Stupid Zoro! Even if you say I'm a great doctor that won't make me happy!" he said with a wide smile plastered on his face.

Zoro chucked and stood up "right right, of course Chopper, well I'm gunna go sleep for a bit."

"Ok big brother" Mizu smiled "It is past your usual nap time anyway."

Zoro smiled and patted her on the head "be good now" he said

"Don't worry, I'll be extra good!"

Zoro walked out the door and closed it behind him, "hah…my usual naptime" he laughed to himself "I didn't even know I had a set time." He climbed up the steps and perched himself on the railing staring into the bottomless ocean. Zoro felt his eyes grow heavy from watching the slow ripples form; he slid off the railing and walked over to the back of the cabin. Sitting himself down against the cool wood he stared up at the stars that dotted the sky. As he was gazing, a pink ball floated in front of his face

"Waaah" he yelped as he thought of the pain that occurred earlier "go away" he waved his arms around in attempt to get rid of it. After a few minutes of Zoro yelling inappropriate words Momo floated down and nestled itself onto his shoulder. He winced as it made contact with his skin, "odd' he said with a puzzled look "you feel rather squishy"

Momo flew up and glowed in his face

"whaaat?" Zoro whined "Go away I wanna sleep"

The fairy glowed brighter and once again snuggled into his shoulder

"Ok ok…jeez you can stay, just don't go shocking me or anything"

Momo softened her glow "Yeah you're not so bad either" he replied to the fairy's body (or lack of body) language.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the waves gently rock himself to sleep.

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**Sorry that the ending was a little uninterestring, my hand was starting to cramp up and American Idol kept distracting me! But i hope you liked it, The end will be soon!! so keep on readin!! **


	11. Kitchen conversations

**Hello my lovley readers! Sorry for not updating sooner, it was OGT week and i had to hit the books (metaphorically of course) so anyway here's the next chapter!**

**Enjoy :)**

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Zoro awoke early in the morning; thin rays of sunlight were peeking out from behind the clouds. Mist hovered above the rolling waves that gently lapped against the grainy shore creating a tranquil morning setting. The swordsman tried to sit up but something heavy was weighing down his left arm. "Whaa?" He looked down to find Mizu snuggled tightly next to him. Zoro smiled and lifted her sleeping form into his arms "Wake up Mizu" he said quietly.

Her body flinched and she curled up into a ball

"I guess that's a no" he chuckled as he cradled her into is left arm and hitched his thumb in the pocket of his pants. "Eh well since I'm up… I might as well go and see if that lazy cook has breakfast ready yet."

Zoro tiptoed down the stairs to the main deck, being extra careful not to wake up Nami as he walked past her door.

"Phew" he said with relief as he made it safely to the kitchen door. Zoro could hear the familiar sound of Sanji whisking eggs in a bowel as he walked into the galley.

"Oi Sanji what's for breakfast?"

The cook turned around and gave him the evil eye "what ever I feel like cooking, which is eggs and bacon with a side of homemade hash browns and muffins."

Zoro's stomach grumbled as he listened to Sanji list off all the delicious foods "Good I'm starved." He sat himself down on one of the chairs and leaned back in it; repositioning Mizu in his arms he shut his eyes and listened to the sound of something sizzling in a pan.

"Someone's sleepy this morning huh?" Sanji stated as he glanced at Mizu

"Yeah she's tired from yesterday, I can't blame her though."

"So did you actually see her fight?" Sanji asked as he held out a tray with golden brown muffins drizzled with glaze.

Zoro paused to take one of the pastries "No…when I got there I thought she was dead, I didn't actually see her fight but there were bodies lying on the ground." He took a bite of his muffin "She told me that she somehow reflected the bullets and they shot the marines instead."

"Hmm" Sanji stroked his chin "How'd she do that?"

Zoro grinned with pride "may I present …Momo" he held out his palm and the tiny fairy hovered above it.

"Gee Zoro, I didn't know how well the color pink suited you until now" Sanji said sarcastically as he placed the remaining pastries on the table.

"Aha very funny" he thwacked Sanji on the back of the head "This is Mizu's power"

"That thing?" The chef pointed a finger at Momo "What does it do?"

Zoro snorted "hah like I would know"

He was about to say something else but he was interrupted by a shrill whine

"Saaaaaaaaanji" The captain moaned "I'm soooo hungry…gimme some meat" Luffy stuck out his lower lip and stubbornly crossed his arms across his chest.

"Breakfast is not done yet Luffy" Sanji replied impatiently

"Ooooooohh" He whined "But I'm staaarving!"

Sanji was about to kick him in the face when he had an idea "Hey Luffy, here I have something for you" he smiled devilishly

"Something for me?!" Luffy exclaimed "What is it what is it what is it!?" he jumped up and down and drooled as Sanji pulled a chunk of vibrant pink candy out of the pantry.

"It's called taffy…here just for you" he snickered as the captain shoved it into his mouth and began chewing.

"Mm It's schticky" he said with his mouth full of pink goo

"yep, now why don't you go outside and enjoy your snack?"

"Okay Samji" he said as he tried to clear his mouth of the goo, Luffy walked out of the kitchen smacking his lips and drooling on the floor.

"Eww" Zoro said as he looked at the pile of drool where Luffy was standing "that's the captain for you."

"Yeah" Sanji laughed

"Hey where's Ussop? He's usually up before me"

Sanji cracked another egg into a bowl "he went into town this morning with Robin; they wanted to get some more supplies before we shipped out."

"aah ok" He stood up and walked over to the cupboard to get his usual coffee mug "So when _do_ we take off?"

"In a few days, Luffy's thinking it'll be within the next two days."

"Ok" Zoro looked down at Mizu who was beginning to wake up; she stretched her arms and yawned.

"g'morning big brother" she whispered as she rubbed her sleepy eyes

"Morning Mizu, you slept in late this morning huh?"

"huh?" She looked around the kitchen "I did didn't I?"

"Yeah don't worry 'bout it you were sleepy" Zoro smiled and sat her down on the chair next to him.

"Morning Uncle-Sanji" she yawned as she scratched her head and grabbed a muffin off the plate sitting on the table.

"Good morning little Mizu, would you like some fresh orange juice with your muffin?"

Mizu gave him a happy smile and nodded her head

"Ok then!' He waltzed over to the little girl with a carton of fresh pressed orange and a small glass.

Mizu swallowed her food "mmmn" she cooed "these are really good Uncle-Sanji"

Sanji smiled "I'm glad you think so" he poured the golden orange liquid into the cup and set it in front of her. "We have a busy day so eat up!"

"We do?" Mizu asked as she bit into her muffin

"Yup we're going into town again" Sanji paused to smile at her "let's try not to eat anymore fruits ok?" he joked as he laughed and patted her head

"Ok I pwomise!"

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**Ok, sorry it's not that long! Well then on a different note the end is near so hmm maybe more reviews will motivate me to update sooner...not that that's a bribe or anything... :)**

**Thanks for reading:)**


	12. Weathersby

**Hello my lovely readers! Hope everyone is having a pleasent spring break :) Anyway sorry for not updating sooner, but i made this chapter longer to make up for it! So go ahead and...**

**Enjoy :)**

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Mizu gripped Sanji's hand tightly as the two walked into the busy morning crowds that mobbed the streets

Mizu gripped Sanji's hand tightly as the two walked into the busy morning crowds that mobbed the streets. "You doing ok?" he asked as they turned onto a cobblestone side street.

Mizu looked up and nodded her head eagerly "yep"

"Ok good, now if we're gunna leave soon then we'll need more supplies"

"What kind of supplies?" she asked as Sanji waltzed up to a fruit vendor

"Food of course" he smiled and patted her on the head

"Excuse me lovely lady" Sanji said smoothly "What is the price for your produce this morning?"

The young woman behind the stand blushed "W-well this morning tomatoes are 98 cents per pound, a-and corn is 1.87 per pound"

Sanji gave her a smile "Wonderful I'll take 12 pounds of tomatoes and seven pounds of corn."

"Really!?" the woman asked incredulously "o-ok then" she disappeared into the tent behind her stand and returned a few moments later with an arm load of vegetables. "Here you are sir" she beamed "thank you very much!"

Sanji gave a small laugh "It's no problem, thank _you_" he said handing her the money. Slinging the sack over his shoulder like it was light as a feather he gently grabbed Mizu's hand. "Well now that was easy, now we just need to get the other things on the list."

"What else do we have to get?" Mizu asked

"well" Sanji slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper "Let's see, we got the tomatoes and corn, now we need flour, oil, eggs, vanilla, butter, milk, lots and lots of meat, lettuce, bread, cheddar cheese, and chocolate."

"Wow" she exclaimed "that's a lot of stuff, how're we gunna carry it all Uncle Sanji?"

"Don't worry about it my little chef" he said "Uncle Sanji is stronger than he looks"

Mizu laughed "Ok Uncle Sanji!" She skipped down the street swinging the basket she was carrying in circles as her little white dress fluttered around her. "Wheeee" she squealed, Momo joined her and hovered above her shoulder.

Sanji laughed as he watched how happy she was "it seems like it was not too long ago when she would barely look at me." He slid a thin cigarette between his lips "look how far she's come." Nonchalantly blowing thick smoke rings in the air he gestured for her to come back. "We're gunna go in here now ok?" he asked

"Ok!" she replied "I'll get the door" Mizu ran up to the wooden door, it's red paint was worn and faded. The shop windows were unkempt and dust was gathering in the corners. "Why here?" she asked

"Because" Sanji replied "you always find the most unusual of things in the most unusual places" he gave her a wink as she opened the door.

Mizu gave him a confused look as she followed him into the dusty shop.

Shelves of all sizes covered the dreary walls, objects covered in cobwebs and dust collected in the corners. A long desk sat in the back covered in stacks of papers and books. A bare light bulb hung from the ceiling, slowly swinging back in forth on its wire.

"Hello?" Sanji yelled "anyone here?"

They waited for an answer but none came "hmm" he said "the sign said they were open"

Mizu set her basket down next to Sanji's feet and walked over to a nearby bookshelf "oooh" she cooed as she spotted a thin book veiled in a layer of dust "what's this?" she reached out and gingerly picked up the book. "aaachoo" she sneezed "ugh there's so much dust" Mizu blew the remaining dust off the book "L-Love-ly?" she sounded out the title. Standing up she walked back over to Sanji who was still at the counter "Uncle Sanji, what does this say?" She asked handing him the little book

"It says Lovely" he replied as a small hunched over old man came out from the back of the room.

"Oh, terribly sorry, I didn't realize someone was here" he said "my name is Weathersby, how can I be of service to you young man."

"Ahh hello Wethersby, the name's Sanji…I had err a few questions to ask if you had the time."

Weathersby laughed "why of course I have time, this place is never busy, what do you wish to know about?"

"Mizu, can I borrow Momo for a moment?" he asked

"Sure" she replied "Momo go with Uncle Sanji"

The fairy floated up to Sanji's shoulder "Thanks Mizu, why don't you go play, but be careful."

"Ok" She skipped away and bent over to look at an odd shaped bronze statue.

Weathersby laughed and pulled two chairs up to the desk "Ok now what can I do for you?"

Sanji leaned forward "Can you tell me what this is?" he held out his hand where Momo was hovering.

"ooh" the old man cooed "now that is special indeed" he fumbled around under his desk and pulled out a giant book. "If you'll just hold on for one moment I'll be able to tell you.'

"Take your time" Sanji reassured "We've got the whole day if you need it."

He watched Weathersby flip through page after page until he began mumbling, he hobbled over to another book shelf and pulled out another book twice as big.

Sanji stood up and carried it to the desk for the old man

"Thanks m'boy" he said as he sat back down in his chair "m'strenghts not as it used to be"

"It's no problem" Sanji replied as Weathersby opened the book and blew the dust from its pages

"Aaah here we are" he remarked as his bony fingers pointed to a yellowed page "I believe this is what you're seeing. It is the Lovely Lovely fruit, ah and its origin goes back to this very town! How interesting." He paused to take a breath "when the Lovely Lovely fruit is consumed, the body takes on no physical changes unless it is willed to."

"Interesting…, please continue"

"The main focal point of the Lovely Lovely fruit is a compressed version of the power that radiates off the consumers body, forming a dense ball of power. The ball follows the consumer until it is the consumers will to release that power, then the ball will merge with its host and take on what ever appearance is desired. …Is that the information you were looking for Sanji-san?"

Sanji nodded his head "Ah yes it was very helpful thank you very much Weathersby-san" he stood up and shook the frail old mans hand "more helpful than you'll ever know" Sanji fished a few bills out of his pocket "here" he handed the money to him "please take this as a token of appreciation."

"You are too kind young man" Weathersby replied taking the money "it makes an old man very happy to know that he's been of some help."

Mizu tugged on Sanji's shirt tail "Uncle Sanji look at this book!" she exclaimed

He knelt down to her level and took the book out of her small hands "hmmm" he said "this is interesting Mizu where did you find this?"

"Over there" she pointed to the shelf

"Hmmm hey Weathersby-san, how much for this book?" Sanji placed it in front of him

"Go ahead and take it, I have no use for it, but you on the other hand little girl, you have a gift, this is yours isn't it" he said pointing to Momo

"mmhmm" she nodded shyly "yes sir"

"well then, he mumbled I think I have something else that could come in handy" he said as he got up off his chair and shuffled his feet past rows of shelves and statues "aha! Here it is" he pulled out a box from within the shelf and blew the dust off it "here he said "this is called a Lovely Locket, only a user of the Lovely Lovely fruit can activate it."

"Oooh!" Mizu cooed "what does it do?"

"You write the names of your loves ones in it and it protects them."

"Wow thank you Mr. Weathersby-san! It is great" Mizu gave the old man a hug

A smile escaped from his old cracked lips "take care my child and good luck"

The two stepped out of the shop and walked down the road Sanji peered into his bag at the book. Across the cover written in scrawly pink ink were the words Lovely Instructions. "heh how ironic" he thought "people always wish that life came with an instruction manual."

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**Yeah it's not the best ending for a chapter but i was running out of ideas :( **

**So yes, if you'd like to see anything else happen before the story ends please let me know and i'll see if I can work it in!**

**Dont forget to review!!**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	13. it has a boy part

**Man 'o man it has been a long time since i worked with this fic. thanks to all who waited patiently for it's return :) life has been busy and well not gunna lie, but most of it's due to lack of motivation. I've been putting forth every hour of the day into my novel i'm writing and it's just taken up all my time. So here's the next chapter (sorry for the length)**

**Thanks to all the people who have been reviewing! It does my heart good to know that people enjoy reading this fic. **

**Enjoy :D**

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Sanji hoisted Mizu onto his shoulders; the market place was packed with people of every nationality and race bartering for supplies in front of colorful tents strewn with signs advertising their products

Sanji hoisted Mizu onto his shoulders; the market place was packed with people of every nationality and race bartering for supplies in front of colorful tents strewn with signs advertising their products. "Aah how I love the market place" he dreamily stated as he weaved in and out between people.

Mizu rested her hand on top of his blond head, the other still clenched around her new book "Why?" she asked.

Sanji gave a snort and laughed "why?" he asked "because it's wonderful, so many extravagant things" his eyes wandered to a young woman standing behind a table, her strawberry blond hair hung in limp ringlets. "And people" he sighed with hearts in his eyes.

Mizu looked at the woman with a confused grimace on her face "but I thought you wuved Auntie-Nami?"

Sanji was taken aback by her question and snapped back to reality, he could feel his face flushing at the thought of his precious Nami. "W-well I do"

"But then why do you always look at the other ladies?"

Sanji sighed and brushed a wisp of hair out of his eyes "because I'm a man, and it's what I'm supposed to do."

Sanji could just feel Mizu thinking of a reply _Great_ he thought _now she too thinks me as a womanizer._

"Big brother doesn't look at the ladies…" Mizu laughed "although he does look at Auntie-Robin"

Sanji's eyes bugged out of his head "I thought there was something going on between them!" He exclaimed. Mizu giggled at his new found discovery, he set the sack of food stuffs on the ground and regained his grip on the itchy burlap. The boat was in sight now, even Luffy who was swinging from the crows nest (mush to Nami's displeasure) was clearly visible. "Oi, Luffy" he yelled "Get down from there and help me with these bags"

His captain's ears perked up at the mention of Sanji's return from the market that meant food, which meant that Sanji was going to willingly hand him a bag of food.

"OKKAAYY SANJII" he yelled and wrapped his hands around the crows nest and plummeted to the deck only to find himself hanging within a few feet from the scuffed floorboards. "Food time food time Sanji gives me food time" Luffy sang with a rather large crooked grin plastered to his face. "Okay Sanji gimme" he held his hands out and smiled. The only thing running through his absent mind, a large drum stick sitting on a plate.

"Precious cargo commin' up captain, please don't drop her" Sanji yelled up to Luffy

"Wait her …the food is female?" He asked confused only to catch Mizu and not a bag of female food.

"Captain-samaaa" Mizu sang as she reached out and hugged Luffy around the neck "We brought food"

Luffy grumbled and set her down on the floor as Sanji's blond head popped up behind the railing. "Sanjiiii" Luffy whined "did you buy any potatoes?" he asked

The cook threw one leg over the railing and plopped the bags onto the floor next to Mizu "Yes Luffy, why do you want to know?" He was oddly mystified that his captain didn't attack him with the demands of meat.

"Can I see them?" Luffy asked with a puzzled look on his visage "I need to know something."

"…Yeah, they're in that bag" He pointed a finger at the burlap bag furthest from Mizu.

He nodded and walked over to the bag, Sanji swung his other leg over the railing and leaned forward trying to catch a better look at what his captain was doing. Luffy opened the bag and fished out one of the contoured vegetables examining it with the utmost focused concentration.

"Uhh Luffy" Sanji began "is there something I can help you with?" he was deeply confused by his captain's actions.

"It's a boy" Luffy proudly stated

Sanji fell face first onto the deck due to Luffy's senseless accusation "What? Luffy don't be retarded food items don't have genders."

"But this one does look see!" Luffy pointed to a growth on the potato "It's a boy, it has a boy part"

Sanji ran to Mizu and covered her ears as Luffy continued on about reproduction and male gentiles.

"LUFFY SHUT UP!!" Sanji yelled "There are virgin ears present; shut up about doing 'that' she's still too young to know!"

Mizu looked up at Sanji "Uncle-Sanji what am I too young to know?"

"…go find Zoro" he blankly said feeling the frustration of his captains stupidity well up inside of him.

"Okay" Mizu skipped across the deck and up the stairs with her book still hugged to her chest. Momo trailed happily behind her.

Sanji turned his attention to Luffy once again "You BAKA!" he smacked his captain over the head.

"OWWW" Luffy wailed "What was that for?!"

"For being reckless! You could have scarred that poor girls mental health forever, she's still a little kid!"

Luffy sat on the deck and folded his arms across his chest "I still don't understand, I was only…"

"SSSH" Sanji cut him off "Luffy" he tried to regain his composure "that potato does NOT have a penis…therefore it is not a boy nor a girl it is a potato."

Luffy attempted to suppress a giggle by puffing out his cheeks

_The maturity level is so very high on this ship_ he thought as Luffy's face began turning a pale shade of red from holding in his laughter. A sigh escaped from his clenched lips, "go ahead Luffy, just laugh already, a mentally retarded captain is at least a bit better than a dead one."

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**Yeah something along the lines of that happened to me in parenting class except it was the "there are virgin ears present" line. To make a long story short...this one kid thought that you had virgin ears if you didn't get fucked in the ear (XD)instead of someone never hearing of that word or topic before...yeah it was rather funny, so i just had to put it in.**

**Please review and thanks for reading :D**


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